Catching the Snitch
by Mared2017
Summary: Four years after the war, Harry is newly single and a star Seeker for Puddlemere United. His Quidditch team is chosen to represent England in the World Cup! Follow Harry as he tries to balance life, training, and new relationships.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! Just want to thank you all for reading my story! This is my first story here! It means a lot to me that you guys are reading this! Feel free to leave a review or to message me if you have any questions or suggestions.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All things Harry Potter are owned by J.K Rowling**

* * *

The tall raven-haired man sat the bar, drowning his sorrows with Firewhiskey. His hair was even more untidy than usual, and his glasses were once again cracked. But he had no desire to fix them. No desire to do anything except drink shot after shot. His emerald eyes stared into his glass, slightly glazed over, and tear tracks were evident on his face.

It had been four months since Harry Potter had broken up with his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley. After the war, they had dated for almost four years, and he had never been happier. He had even searched his vaults at Gringotts to look for the perfect ring to give her when he proposed. He had everything planned perfectly. Almost everything. He hadn't counted on Ginny already being home when he got there since she had told him that she was out of town with her Quidditch team. He also hadn't counted on Dean Thomas being there.

His heart clenched at the memory of walking in on them in _his_ house, locked in a full embrace, barely clothed. The only thing that hurt more than that memory, was when the Weasley's found out that they had broken up. They all immediately sided with Ginny, assuming that Harry must have done something wrong. In a matter of 24 hours, he had lost not only his girlfriend, but the closest thing he had to a family. Luckily Hermione knew what had happened and supported him. Once again, he was grateful to have a friend as great as her. Fortunately, the Weasley's soon found out what really happened and apologized to him. He forgave them instantly, but their relationship had been a little strained since.

Harry raised his head and motioned for the bartender to fill up his glass. The bartender raised his eyebrow but filled it anyway. "Last call, sir. We're closing soon."

Harry looked down at his watch. Four in the morning. He inwardly groaned upon the realization that he had training in only five hours. He stood up and left some galleons on the counter as well as a generous tip for the bartender for putting up with him all night. He stumbled through the fireplace and Floo'd to Grimmauld Place and instantly passed out on the couch.

* * *

Harry pried open his eyes as his alarm went off for the fifth time. He went to sit up but immediately fell back down, his head pounding. "Bugger…" He reached for his glasses and summoned a Hangover Potion. He quickly downed it and felt his headache start to ebb away. A glance at his watch showed the time as 8:30. He took a quick shower and grabbed his Firebolt before apparating to the stadium.

He made it just in time. As practice continued, he felt his worries and troubles fade away. Flying was the one time where he forgot about his pain. Every day he was more and more glad that he had chosen to accept Puddlemere United's offer to play for them instead of becoming an Auror. He had had enough of chasing dark wizards for a lifetime. He looked around at his fellow teammates and grinned.

Oliver Wood, his old Quidditch captain from Hogwarts was flying around by the goal posts. Katie Bell was also there as one of the Chasers. He was glad to have some of his old friends here. They had always been able to play well together, and this season it showed. They were one of the best in the league, with great chances of going to the World Cup. Robbins and Wilson rounded out the Chasers. They were a few years older than Wood, so Harry hadn't known them in school. Taylor and Davies were the Beaters. They were small but muscular. Overall, he was pleased with the team. They were all the best of the best, and they were great friends outside of the team as well.

They all quickly showered and changed in the locker rooms, eager to go out to a new pub that had opened in Diagon Alley. After weeks of grueling training, they all wanted to hang out and relax and just have a good time. Harry was particularly excited because his best friend Hermione was going to be there. He hadn't seen her in the past few months, mainly due to their schedules conflicting. She was recently promoted to Head Healer of the Spell Damage floor. It was a great promotion, especially for one as young as Hermione, but she deserved every bit of it. The only downside was that she rarely had time to hang out.

"Hey, Potter! Hurry up, yeah?" Katie Bell stuck her head back into the locker room. "For someone as fast as you are on a broom, you sure are a slowpoke." She laughed and ducked back out as Harry threw a towel at her.

"I'm coming!" He grinned and followed his team.

* * *

The pub was packed. There was barely enough room for the team to sit down. Wood ordered them all a butterbeer and some crisps. They spent a few hours just having a nice chat and enjoying their drinks. As the time went by, Harry found himself glancing at his watch more and more. Soon it was almost midnight, and Hermione was still nowhere to be found. He glanced around the pub and his eyes landed on the back of a woman.

His eyes widened slightly as he took her in. She was wearing skin-tight jeans and a bright red shirt that accentuated all of her curves. She was rather short. He figured she would probably barely make it up to his shoulders. Her hair was a beautiful shade of brown and fell in curls to her waist. He leaned over towards Katie.

"Do you know who that woman is? The one at the bar?"

Katie turned and looked at the woman, shrugging. "I don't know." A smirk spread across her face and she raised an eyebrow. "Like what you see, Potter?"

Harry's face flushed a beautiful shade of red and he fidgeted with his sleeve. Katie took it for a yes.

"Look, Harry. It's ok to move on from Ginny. It's been fourth months, hasn't it? It's okay to be attracted to other women now. It's only natural. Just go buy that woman a drink and see what happens. Besides, it's not like she'll say no to the Boy Who Lived." She giggled as Harry rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Fine, but only because you're making me do this."

Gathering all of his Gryffindor courage, he took a deep breath and walked up to the woman in the bright red shirt.

"Um…Can I buy you a drink?"

The woman turned around and Harry's jaw nearly fell to the floor as his eyes widened.

"Hermione?!"


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione grinned and threw her arms around him. "Harry! I've been looking for you! I almost thought you guys didn't come!"

Harry quickly hugged her back, his eyes still wide. They pulled apart and he looked at her again. He noticed her face flush slightly at his inspection. "Wow, Hermione. You look-"

"Nice, I hope," she interrupted. "I only had a few minutes to get ready after work."

Harry shook his head. "You look beautiful, Hermione. And your hair! I didn't realize it was you! You finally managed to tame it, huh?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and swatted his arm. "I wanted to look somewhat decent when I saw you. It's been too long."

It was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "Your hair is beautiful even when it's all crazy. I rather liked it that way." He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the table, where they spent the night catching up.

Harry grinned the whole time. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed spending time with Hermione. She had loosened up a lot since Hogwarts, but apparently, it hadn't been enough for Ron. He hadn't liked how Hermione was busy with work and the preparation she had for that job, so he decided to go sleep with someone else. Lavender of all people.

Harry's jaw clenched as he tightened his grip on his glass. He hadn't forgotten how heartbroken Hermione was, how she had spent night after night crying her eyes out. It had taken him a long time to forgive Ron for what he did to her. Hermione had spent months looking like a ghost of herself, trying to mend her broken heart. But, luckily it had all worked out in the end and they were still close friends.

"Harry? Harry!"

Harry shook his head slightly and refocused on the conversation. Everyone at the table was staring at him.

"Sorry…got distracted." Hermione shook her head and poked his ribs.

"We were just talking about the Quidditch World Cup. The roster for the England team gets announced tomorrow. Do you think you will make it?"

Harry thought about it for a second. He had the best record out of all the seekers in England, but he didn't have the most experience. "I don't know. I hope so. I know you will, Oliver. You have the best record of all the Keepers." Oliver grinned and raised his glass.

"Cheers, mate."

"You know," Hermione started, "I went over all of Puddlemere's statistics for the year. You guys have the best record of all teams this year. Is it possible for them to choose you guys as a team? You all work really well together. It might be best to choose you all so that the players don't have to get acquainted and used to new people."

Harry stared at her, giving her a crooked smile. "You, Hermione Granger, went over Quidditch statistics? I thought you hated Quidditch!" Hermione just shrugged and drank her butterbeer.

"I rather enjoy Quidditch now, actually." She glanced over at Harry and saw his mouth agape. Smiling cheekily, she sent him a wink. "You didn't think you knew everything about me, did you? A girl's got to have some secrets."

Harry felt a warm feeling in his stomach and smile on his face. Hermione Granger had winked at him. Was it a friendly wink? Or was she flirting? The thought of her flirting with him made his insides squirm a little. It was a peculiar feeling. He hadn't felt that feeling in a long time.

"Oh! Harry! I forgot! Did you ever go buy a drink for that sexy witch you were ogling earlier?" Katie smirked as Harry choked on his drink. Harry squirmed in his seat, trying to think of something to say. He didn't want Hermione to know that he had been staring at her ass. He wanted to keep his limbs attached to him. But the look on Hermione's face told him that she had already figured that one out.

Hermione faced Katie and smiled innocently. "No, he didn't buy me a drink. I had to pay for it myself." Katie's eyes widened slightly and they all turned to look at Harry, who was trying to disappear into his seat, his face burning. The group burst into laughter at his obvious discomfort.

Hermione leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Oh, Harry. If you want to stare at my bum, just ask." Harry floundered for words and was obviously flustered, making everyone laugh again.

Soon Harry had to leave. He had to be awake early to watch Teddy for a few hours for Andromeda. He gave Hermione a hug and promised that they would hang out again soon. With a wave, he turned on the spot and apparated into his room.

He sat on the bed, trying to sort out his thoughts. He was glad he got to see Hermione again today. He just couldn't believe how sexy she had looked in that outfit. He had never seen Hermione wear clothes like that before. He didn't even know that she had a body like that underneath all of her robes. And what was with the wink? And the kiss on the cheek? Granted Hermione had always kissed his cheek, but something about tonight seemed different. He just couldn't figure out what.

Before he knew it, he was passed out, his dreams full of a certain brown-haired witch.

"Hawwy! Hawwy wake up!" Harry groaned and rolled over, shoving his glasses on his face. The teal blur in front of him slowly turned into little Teddy. He grinned and grabbed Teddy, tickling him.

"Hey, buddy! Time for fun already? I must have missed my alarm!" Teddy giggled and ran out of the room shrieking.

"Grandma! Hawwy's tickling me!" Chuckling, Harry got up and quickly showered and dressed before heading towards the kitchen.

"Good morning, 'Dromeda." He walked over towards her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Sorry I overslept. I was out with Hermione and the team last night."

Andromeda chuckled and handed Harry some coffee. "You apologize too much, Harry. Now, I'll be back in just a couple hours. I just have a few errands to run. Thanks for watching him."

"No problem! I love having Teddy over. We always have fun, don't we buddy?" Teddy grinned and his hair turned black like Harry's.

"Last time Hawwy let me have ice cweam before lunch!" Harry glanced at Andromeda nervously before crouching by Teddy.

"Teddy! That's our secret, remember? If Grandma finds out, she won't let it happen again!"

"Oops!" He shrugged and ran out of the room.

Andromeda chuckled. "I'll be back!"

Harry drank his coffee and followed after Teddy.

"Wait up buddy!"

They spent the afternoon playing with the stash of toys Harry kept at his house. Teddy was a very spoiled child, mainly due to Harry buying him whatever he wanted. They were just about ready for lunch when an owl flew in through the open window and dropped a newspaper on the table. Harry walked over and picked it up, his jaw dropping at the headline.

 **Puddlemere United Chosen as England's World Cup Team**


	3. Chapter 3

meHarry stared at the paper in his hands, shocked. Hermione had been right, of course. His whole team was going to the World Cup! "Merlin…"

Teddy came running in. "What is it, Hawwy?" He tugged on Harry's arm, waiting to be picked up. Harry sat him on his lap and showed him the paper.

"Look, Teddy! I'm going to play in the World Cup!" Teddy's hair turned bright yellow as he clapped his hands together, squealing.

"Yay Hawwy! Can Grandma and I come and watch you play sometimes?"

Harry chuckled and stood up, holding Teddy in his arms. "Of course, buddy. As long as Grandma says it's okay." Teddy grinned and gave Harry a hug, just as Andromeda returned to pick him up.

Teddy excitedly told her about the World Cup and she gave Harry a hug, promising that they would all get together soon to celebrate. She and Teddy left soon after, with plans to send out owls to all of their friends and Harry's teammates to celebrate.

After they were gone, Harry grabbed some parchment and wrote a quick note to Hermione.

 _Hermione,_

 _I don't know if you've seen the paper yet, but you were right! They chose my whole team to play in the World Cup! We get the next few weeks off to relax before our training begins, thankfully. I had a great time with you last night. We need to hang out again soon._

 _Harry_

 _P.S. Keep an eye out for an owl from Teddy and 'Dromeda. They want to have a party to celebrate!_

He sent the note off with Archimedes, the owl he had gotten after Hedwig had died. It took him two years to be able to buy a new one. He didn't want to feel like he was replacing her, but as soon as he saw the dark brown barn owl, he knew it was meant to be. He knew Hedwig wouldn't be upset for getting another owl. He smiled fondly as he thought of her.

His thoughts were interrupted as yet another owl flew in through the window. He recognized it immediately. The tiny owl flew around the ceiling, chirping away happily. Harry reached up, trying to grab it.

"Pig! Come down here!" He finally managed to catch the owl and took the letter. "Merlin…I have no idea how Ron deals with you all the time." Pig just looked at him before taking off around the ceiling again.

 _Harry,_

 _Congrats, mate! I can't believe how lucky you are to play in the World Cup! Mom and Dad are already making plans to try and score tickets for us for the championship. We know you guys are a shoo-in!_

 _Lavender sends her love._

 _Ron_

Harry rolled his eyes and tried not to gag. He had never liked Lavender. She talked way too much and you could never trust her to keep quiet with a secret. And she had gotten in between Ron and Hermione. He had been so sure that they were meant to be together. Then again, he was sure that he and Ginny were going to be together forever.

His heart clenched at the thought of her, and he quickly tossed the letter in the fire before scribbling a quick response.

 _Ron,_

 _Cheers, mate! Teddy and 'Dromeda are planning a celebration party. Keep an eye out for the owl._

 _Harry._

He sent the letter off with Pig, sighing in relief when the ball of feathers finally left. "Bloody bird…"

The next few days passed by quickly. Harry spent the time catching up on some much needed sleep and sorting through all of the letters he had neglected to read after he and Ginny broke up. Most of them were from Ginny herself, saying how sorry she was. He snorted as he read all of her letters. They were sappy and insincere. The rest were from Ron and Hermione, trying to check up on him. He felt guilty as he looked at the piles of unanswered letters from Hermione. She had always been there for him, even during the darkest parts of their lives. Yet he hadn't let her be there for him when he most needed it recently.

He sighed and glanced at his watch, checking the time. People would be arriving shortly for the celebration party. Teddy and Andromeda were already here setting up. Harry had been tasked with cleaning. Luckily there wasn't much to clean. He had just finished putting the letters away when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Teddy yelled. Harry chuckled as he heard Teddy run to the door and yank it open. "Who are you?"

Harry walked up behind Teddy and grinned, picking him up. "Teddy, this is the rest of my team. They are going to play with me for the cup. Oliver, Katie, James, Lucas, Lizzie, and Derek." Teddy gave a shy wave before burying his face into Harry's neck.

Harry waved them in, pointing them towards the kitchen. "Party's in there. Andromeda has a feast prepared." The words feast immediately made his teammates faces light up and they ran towards the kitchen. Harry laughed and started to close the door when more people showed up.

"Oh, Harry!" He had the breath knocked out of him and Teddy as Mrs. Weasley gave them one of her famous hugs. "I'm so proud of you!" She pulled back and wiped away some tears. "I'm going to go help Andromeda. I'm sure she needs it with this lot to feed." She scurried inside.

The rest of the Weasley's followed after her, all of them stopping to give Harry a hug or a handshake. He was starting to relax, thinking that Ginny wasn't there, until he spotted her long red hair and beautiful brown eyes. His heart sank. Dean was there with her. Ginny reached over and gave him a hug.

"Congratulations, Harry." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and followed her family. Harry and Dean stood there awkwardly. Harry ran his hand through his hair and set Teddy down.

"Harry, I'm sorry," Dean started. Harry waved a hand and gave a small smile.

"Don't worry about it. I don't blame you." Dean returned the small smile and headed after his new girlfriend. Ron walked back from the kitchen, glaring at Dean as he passed him.

"Sorry, mate. I tried to convince Mum to make them stay behind, but she wasn't having it. Kept insisting that we were all family and it didn't matter." He placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and took a bite of the pastry in his hand. "Don't let it get to you."

Harry nodded and shut the door, following the Weasley clan to the kitchen. Mr. Weasley handed him a glass of butterbeer and raised his own. "A toast, to the new England Quidditch World Cup team! Congratulations!" Everyone cheered and took a sip from their glasses before returning to their conversations. Harry smiled as he watched, a warm feeling in his stomach. He considered himself so lucky to have a family like the Weasleys. While he still secretly longed to have had his own parents growing up, he wouldn't trade out the Weasley's for anything. They opened their home and hearts to him and supported him in almost everything.

"Hello? Harry?" He faced the doorway as he heard someone call his name. "I hope I'm not too late." A huge smile spread across his face as Hermione walked in, her hair back to its normal untamed state. "Sorry, we had a small emergency at St. Mungo's. A kid got ahold of their mother's wand and turned their mum into a teacup somehow. Didn't know how to turn her back."

Harry strode over towards her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "I'm glad you're here, Hermione." He placed a kiss on her cheek before pulling away, his face slightly pink. He ran his hand through his hair again as he stepped back.

Hermione looked at him strangely before smiling and walked into the kitchen to greet everyone. Harry continued watching as she gave everyone a hug. Harry watched, a peculiar feeling building inside, a feeling he hadn't felt since he started dating Ginny. He paused. Why was he feeling that now? And towards his best friend? He didn't like her like that, right? He was brought out of his thoughts when Hermione returned to his side.

"I've missed you," she said, smiling. Harry felt his insides soar and smiled widely.

"I've missed you too. Sorry I ignored your letters for so long. I haven't been thinking straight the past few months."

Hermione smiled sympathetically and gave his arm a squeeze. "It's alright, Harry. I'll always be there for you. Just at least owl me so I know you're alive. I can't believe that Katie of all people had to invite me to go out with the team last week. I've missed talking to you."

Harry gave her a crooked smile. "Sorry, Mione. Forgive me?"

Hermione laughed and poked his chest. "I can't stay mad at you, Harry." He grinned and grabbed her hand.

"Thanks, Hermione. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I don't know either, Harry."

Harry chuckled and looked down at her. Her dark brown eyes were looking back at him, sparkling with mirth. His breath left him as he realized just how beautiful she was. How could Ron have given this up? His gaze dropped down to her mouth before going back to her eyes. He swallowed nervously, wondering what he was doing.

* * *

Hermione stared up into the emerald eyes of the man in front of her. She could get lost in his eyes. In them, there was so much emotion, so much depth. It was as if she could see into his soul just by looking in his eyes. Her breathing quickened and her palms got sweaty as she watched Harry's gaze fall to her mouth before meeting hers again. Was he going to kiss her?

The thought brought her back to her senses. It terrified her. Harry was her best friend. Last time she kissed a best friend, it ended badly. She couldn't lose Harry too. She quickly took a step back and looked down, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Um, I have to get going. I have an early day tomorrow. I'll see you around, yeah?" She turned and left, but not before peeking a glance at Harry's face. Did he look disappointed almost?

* * *

Harry frowned into his glass of butterbeer. He knew Hermione didn't have work in the morning. That's the whole reason they chose today to have the party. He felt the normal warmth of anger in his stomach. Why had she lied to him? She had just said she would always be there, and then she turned around and left!

He spent the rest of the party sulking on the sidelines, pretending to be interested in the conversations around him. Andromeda had long since left to take Teddy home for the night, and everyone except Ron, Katie, and Oliver had disappeared. The four of them were sitting by the fireplace, talking about the upcoming World Cup.

Oliver soon noticed Harry's silence and looked over. "Harry, what's up? You don't look like you're celebrating. Here, have another drink!" He tossed Harry the bottle of Firewhiskey that he had procured during the night. Harry just looked at it before setting it down.

"Thanks, but I'm getting pretty tired. It's been a long day. You know how Teddy is. That little boy has more energy than everyone else combined." He stood up to leave but was forced back into his seat by Ron.

"Oh no, you don't. I've known you for eleven years. I have only ever seen you turn down Firewhiskey once. When you were pining after Ginny in our sixth year. So. Who is it this time?"

Harry stared up at his friends, eyes wide. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

Ron smirked. "I thought so. Harry has a crush. Who is Harry? You're not still hung up on Ginny, are you?"

Katie walked over and sat next to him, touching his arm lightly. "If you tell us, we can help you! I mean, it's been-"

"Hermione…," he interrupted.

Ron's jaw fell slack and he sank into his seat. Katie and Oliver stared at him. Harry felt his face heat up and looked down nervously.

"I think I like her…"


	4. Chapter 4

Harry surprised himself as the words slipped out. He hadn't meant to say it, but it slipped out. He felt his face heat up under the gaze of his friends.

"I mean, I hurt my knee…during practice today," he stammered, but judging by the looks on their faces, he wasn't fooling them. He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, groaning.

Katie and Oliver glanced at each other before quickly standing up and making excuses to leave. Harry couldn't blame them. The tension between him and Ron was very uncomfortable. He looked up as the door shut behind his teammates and glanced at Ron.

Ron was staring back at him, his mouth still open. He took a breath and a sip of Firewhiskey. "So, you and Hermione, huh?" Harry leaned back in his chair, running his hand through his hair.

"I don't know, Ron. I've never really seen her like that before. She's always been my best friend, you know? Then out of nowhere I can barely talk to her without embarrassing myself."

Ron nodded and then shrugged. "Look, mate, if you like her, just go and tell her. Worst she can do is say no."

Harry stared at Ron, shocked. "You don't think it's weird, considering your guys' relationship?"

Ron burst into laughter, making Harry jump. "That was three years ago, Harry. Besides, we never would have worked out in the long run anyway. We were just too different. Granted, I should have handled the situation better." He paused and fidgeted with the glass in his hand. "Hermione and I are still great friends, but there's no lingering feelings there. If you want to ask her out, go for it."

Harry got up and walked over, pulling Ron up into a hug. "Thanks, mate."

A few days later, Harry received an owl from Hermione, asking if he and Ron would like to meet at the Leaky Cauldron on Saturday night. Harry immediately responded yes, a huge smile plastered on his face. He knew that Saturday would be the perfect time to ask Hermione out.

By the time Saturday rolled around, he could barely contain his excitement. He had spent an hour trying to pick out the perfect outfit. He settled on a pair of jeans and a green shirt, to bring out the color of his eyes. He attempted to flatten his hair for the one hundredth time, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Ok. You got this. It's just Hermione." He took one last glance and then Floo'd to the Leaky Cauldron.

He was the first one there, so he went and got a table in the corner, hoping for some privacy. While it had been four years since he had defeated Voldemort, there were still many people who wanted pictures with him. It didn't help that he was now on the English team for the Quidditch Cup. He motioned to Tom, who instantly came over.

"What can I do for you today, Mr. Potter?"

"Three butterbeers please, Tom." The owner nodded and quickly returned with the drinks. "Is it true, Tom? You're selling this place?"

Tom nodded. "I'm getting old, Mr. Potter. I can't keep up with all of you younglings. Miss Abbott will continue my legacy."

Harry perked up slightly. "Hannah is buying this place?"

Tom chuckled a little. "She and Mr. Longbottom were here looking at it last week." Before Harry could respond, another customer motioned towards Tom. He nodded at Harry before walking away. "Take care, Mr. Potter." Harry leaned back in the booth, finally relaxing. He took a sip of his drink and closed his eyes.

"Harry!" He opened his eyes and looked around, his jaw dropping when he saw Hermione walking towards him. She was in the same pair of jeans that she wore that night in the bar, and had paired it with a beautiful blue blouse that complimented her skin. Her hair was pulled to the side in a braid. He stood up quickly and pulled her into a hug.

"Hermione! You look beautiful." He helped her into the booth across from him before sitting back down, smirking a little at the blush on her cheeks. "I was beginning to think you and Ron were bailing on me."

"Oh, Ron's not coming. He owl'd me back last night. George asked him to help out at the store. They are thinking of making it a permanent thing. Which is good. George can't handle all of that by himself. And it's good for them to bond."

Harry made a mental note to thank Ron for bailing. While he enjoyed the time with his friends, he was very excited to have alone time with Hermione.

"That's good. How was work this week?" His question made Hermione groan and lean against the back of the booth.

"It was hectic. You have no idea how many people injure themselves while attempting the simplest of spells. Most of these people shouldn't have been allowed to graduate from Hogwarts."

Harry snorted into his drink. "Not all of us can be geniuses, Hermione. I'm glad you were able to make it though. I've missed you since you left the party."

Hermione bit her lip, looking down at her glass. "I've missed you too, Harry. I'm sorry I haven't been around more. This job just takes up a lot of my time. I've actually been thinking about quitting."

Harry choked on his drink, staring at Hermione. She wanted to quit something? The Hermione he knew never quit anything. "What? You're serious? You can't! I thought you loved this job. You always wanted to help people, and that's just what you're doing!"

"I know, Harry, but it gets really repetitive. It's not as challenging as it was when I first started. I just don't think that I'm reaching my full potential there." She paused and took a breath. "McGonagall actually asked me if I wanted to return to Hogwarts and teach Ancient Runes. The professor is retiring. I'm thinking of saying yes."

Harry's jaw dropped. He had never pictured Hermione as a professor before, but now that he did, he realized it suited her perfectly. She could help educate young witches and wizards, and she would be able to do all of the research and studying she wanted. He grinned and moved around the table until he was next to her, pulling her into a hug.

"That's great, Hermione! I'm so proud of you!" He held her tightly. "You need to accept that! It's perfect for you!"

Hermione smiled and hugged him back. "Thanks, Harry!" She pulled back and her smile slipped away. "There's just one problem. I won't be able to come to all of your World Cup games this year. I will definitely be able to make it to the Championship game, if you guys make it there, but a lot of the earlier games, I won't be able to make it."

Harry smiled softly. "Hermione, it's ok. I'm not going to mad at you for not coming. Because I know you'll be rooting for me anyway. I just want you to be happy."

Hermione gave him a watery smile and wiped away a stray tear. "Thanks, Harry. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

She placed a small kiss on his cheek. Harry's heart quickened and his palms grew sweaty. Taking a deep breath, he gather his courage and turned his head slightly, so that her lips were now on his.


	5. Chapter 5

_I wanted to thank everyone who left a review on my story! It makes me so happy that you have enjoyed it so far! I will continue to update when I can. Once the week starts it might slow down a bit since I have classes and homework, but I will try to get at least two or three chapters down before the weekend. Thanks everyone!_

* * *

Her lips were soft and warm, and the kiss was better than anything Harry could have ever imagined. His hand moved to her waist and he smiled to himself. He felt a warmth in his chest that he hadn't felt in a long time. He moved closer to her to deepen the kiss when all too soon it was over as she pulled away. Her eyes were wide as if she was scared. She lightly touched their lips and the stared at each other, neither one knowing what to say.

"Hermione," he started. She shook her head and stood up.

"Um, I should, I should go." She turned and started walking away. Harry stood and made to follow her.

"Hermione! Wait. I'm sorry." But she apparated away before he could reach her. "Dammit," he swore. He fell back into the booth and buried his face in his hands, his heart breaking. He had royally fucked things up. He had ruined his relationship with the one person who had always been beside him. Loneliness started to set in.

Standing up, he tossed some galleons on the table for the drinks and walked out into the rain, letting it fall on his face and mix with the tears that had managed to escape. His chest tightened as he tried to pull himself together. Looking around to make sure no one was looking, he apparated back to Grimmauld Place, determined to find a stronger drink.

* * *

Hermione stood in the middle of her living room, her eyes still wide and her hand still lightly touching her lips. Harry kissed her. Harry kissed _her,_ Hermione Granger. A slow smile slowly spread across her face. It had been completely and utterly perfect. His lips were warm and it was so gentle. She could feel the emotions behind it. She wanted more. She craved more.

But this was Harry, her first friend. Her best friend. Of course she loved him, but did she like him in that way? Was she willing to risk their friendship for a romantic relationship that might not last? None of her other relationships had lasted. She knew it was because she had always put work before anything else, but that was just who she was. She loved magic, and she loved studying it. Without magic, she would just be Hermione Granger, bookworm. But here, she was Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age, part of the Golden Trio. She would spend all of her time working if it meant that she could stay part of this world.

She walked over to the couch and sat down, staring at the fireplace, thinking about Harry. She had always found him to be attractive, and now that he was a Quidditch player, his body was more toned and muscular. He was no longer the scrawny boy she met ten years ago. Her favorite part was his eyes, the beautiful bright green color, the depth of emotion she could see while staring into them. And his smile. The stupid crooked smile that made her feel safe and loved.

He had also turned into a great man. He was smart, smarter than he ever let on in school, and he was incredibly selfless. He had died to save his friends, after all. And he was great with Teddy, even though he spoiled him rotten. What wasn't to love?

Her mouth fell open as she finally realized. How hadn't she seen it before? She liked Harry Potter! She grabbed her wand off the floor where it had fallen and immediately rushed to the fireplace. She crawled in and Floo'd to Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Harry was sitting on the floor by the fireplace, staring at the flames, a bottle of Firewhiskey in his hands. His glasses were on the floor, his wand on the couch. He started to stand up, ready to go to bed, when the fireplace turned green and someone stepped out. He squinted, trying to see who it was. He reached for his glasses and finished standing.

"Hermione…" Her name fell from his lips. He stood there, shocked. "You came back."

A soft smile spread across her face as she stepped towards him, grabbing his hand. "Of course I did, Harry. I'm sorry I ran out like that. I was just…shocked."

He grinned like a fool, his insides suddenly warm again. His heart swelled and he pulled her into a hug, squeezing her. He breathed in, inhaling her scent. Vanilla and lavender. Hermione.

He pulled back and looked down at her, studying her face. "I…Do you…Will you go out with me sometime?" His instantly looked down at the floor, his face burning.

Hermione lifted his chin up and looked at him, a glowing smile on her face. "Of course, Harry." Standing on her toes, she pressed her lips very softly against his. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him.

He knew that they would have to talk soon about how this would work, with her at school teaching and with him traveling for the World Cup. But right now, it didn't matter. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy his time with her.

His hands fell to her waist and he squeezed slightly, parting his lips to deepen the kiss. Hermione let out a soft sigh. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck, pulling him down closer. He smiled into the kiss. He couldn't remember being this happy in a long time.

Hermione eventually pulled back and studied his face, an odd expression on her own. "Wow…"

Harry chuckled softly. "Yeah…Wow." They stood there awkwardly for a second before she let her arms fall back to her sides.

"Um, I should get going. I have to start packing for my move to Hogwarts tomorrow. Will you come over and help me?" Harry nodded as his heart started to sink. She was moving already? "Thanks, Harry. I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed his cheek lightly and Floo'd back home, leaving Harry standing there, a frown on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

"Harry! The dishes don't go in with the towels! They go with the other kitchen things!" Harry rolled his eyes slightly as he turned and went to put the dishes in a different box. "I saw that, Harry!" He flinched and his face heated up.

"Sorry, Hermione." He taped up the box and moved it towards the door, with the other packed boxes. Hermione raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed.

"You know, Harry. You are a wizard. It would be a lot easier to pack with magic. We would probably be done already."

Harry shrugged and looked down, shuffling his feet. "But then I wouldn't have as much time with you," he mumbled quietly.

Hermione's cheeks turned pink and she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Oh…that's sweet, Harry." She smiled and stood on her tiptoes, kissing his cheek. "Thanks for helping me. I don't know how I have so much stuff."

Harry snorted and reached for an empty box. "Most of your things are books, Hermione. Do you really need to take everything with you to Hogwarts? Why bring your dishes if you are just going to eat in the Great Hall?"

Hermione swatted his arm and started stacking her books in the box. "I know, but each teacher gets their own little suite type thing. It comes with a bedroom and bathroom, a living room, and a little kitchenette. I might not want to eat in the Great Hall for every meal."

Harry nodded and they worked in silence for the next hour. After getting the majority of her things packed, they headed into the kitchen for a light lunch. They are quietly until Harry finally spoke up.

"Do you have to leave so soon? The school year doesn't start for another week."

"Yes, I do. I need to make my lesson plans and prepare all the homework for the year. It will be easier to do that there, where there are less distractions."

Harry set his sandwich down. "Oh. Ok."

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"I just wish you didn't have to go so soon. We won't even get to go on our first date. After you start school, I'll be gone all the time with training and the World Cup. We will barely see each other."

Hermione sat there quietly, her brow furrowed slightly. "I know, Harry. It sucks. But I promise you that I will write to you at least twice a week. And I can always Floo over to your place on weekends. Or to wherever you are for training. It's not impossible."

Harry shrugged and picked up his sandwich again. He couldn't lie. He wasn't looking forward to them being apart for so long, especially right at the start of their relationship. He had had a nice date planned for them for next weekend. He was going to take her to her favorite muggle restaurant and then they were going to walk back to his place for a movie. Installing that TV had been one of the best choices he ever made. But now she was leaving in just a day or two. Maybe he could change that reservation to tonight…

He finished eating and stood up. "I have to go make a call. I'll be right back." He hurried out of the room, leaving a confused Hermione behind. As soon as he was out of the room, he apparated to the closest alley to the restaurant. He ran inside, looking for the hostess.

"Excuse me! Hi. I have a reservation for Saturday at eight, under the name Potter. Is it at all possible to move that to tonight?" The hostess checked and gave a quick nod.

"Yes, sir. Except it will have to be at seven instead. Is that alright?" Harry nodded, a huge smile on his face.

"Thank you so much!" He hurried back out and apparated back into Hermione's kitchen, making her jump with his sudden appearance.

"Harry," she shrieked. "Don't do that!" She stood up and smacked his arm. "You know I hate it when you scare me!"

He smiled sheepishly, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry." He smiled as he looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed from the scare, and her hair was wilder than ever. He reached over and tucked a stray strand behind her ear and caressed her face gently. "You're beautiful…"

Hermione looked down, smiling shyly. Harry found it very endearing. He lifted her chin so that he could look into her brown eyes. "Go out with me tonight. Dinner at seven. At your favorite place. Please? I want our first date before you leave."

Hermione laughed softly and gave him a quick kiss. "I'd love to. Now get out of here so I can get ready."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You need six hours to get ready? What are you going to do? Try and tame your hair?" Hermione swatted at his arm. Harry backed up, his hands up and a smirk on his face. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" He stepped towards her and kissed her softly. "I love your hair, Hermione." Harry smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Go get ready. I'll see you at seven." He squeezed her hand before stepping away and apparating back home.

* * *

It took him all of thirty minutes to get ready, most of which was spent in the shower and trying to tame his hair. He finally gave up, realizing the nothing would ever fix this mess. He would forever have an untidy mop of hair on his head. He pulled on a pair of black trousers. He would prefer to wear jeans, but he wanted to look his best for tonight. He moved over to the closet and searched through his clothes, trying to find a clean shirt to wear. He finally settled on a red button-up. It would have to do. He glanced down at his watch and took a breath. Only an hour left.

He grabbed his wallet and made sure he had his wand before he headed for the door. The restaurant wasn't too far away and the weather was nice so walking there wouldn't be too bad. He stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him. The summer breeze ruffled his hair as he walked along the pathway. Half an hour later, he arrived at the restaurant and smiled, glad he was early. Hermione always had a tendency of being a bit early as well, so at least now he would be here before her.

He walked in, gave his name, and was seated at a small table in the back corner. It had a beautiful view of the pond in the lake that was next to the building. There was a candle in the middle of the table, surrounded by some greenery. Harry sat there patiently, waiting for his date to arrive.

Seven came and went, and there was still no sign of Hermione. He frowned while looking at his watch. She was never late to anything, not in the ten years he'd known her. He looked out the window and up the street, trying to find her. But nothing.

By the time it was seven thirty, he started to feel a little apprehensive. The logical part of him knew that she probably just had something come up, but a small part of him still wondered if maybe she just didn't want to go out with him. He stood up and left the restaurant, leaving a bit of money on the table for the staff for their troubles, and started walking home.

The closer he got to Grimmauld Place, the more he kept overthinking things. After what happened with Ginny, he always got nervous when someone doesn't show up places or doesn't let him know when they can't make something. He knew he was being stupid, but he couldn't help but think that maybe he had moved on too fast, that maybe Hermione didn't want to be a rebound to Ginny, that maybe he had asked her out too soon.

He stepped inside his house, slamming the door shut behind him. The force caused a few pictures to shake, making the inhabitants yell. He ignored them and stormed up the stairs, warding the fireplaces so no one could Floo in and bother him. Emotionally exhaused from the past few days, he fell on his bed and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would soon take over.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey everyone! First, I wanted to say thanks to everyone for all of the reviews! It means a lot to me! Second, I had something brought to my attention, a little plot hole at the end of Chapter 6, where Harry could have tried contacting Hermione instead of waiting an hour and half. I did go back and change it a little bit. What is currently there is just temporary, but still basically what happened. Later this week I'm going to go back and change it further, to make it read and flow better. I will let you guys know when I do that if you want to go back and read it. However, if you don't go back and read it after I update it next, you won't miss much. Thanks again!_

* * *

Harry was woken up by the sound of someone knocking loudly. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, blinking until everything was focused. Glancing down at his watch, he realized it was three in the morning. With a groan, he pulled himself out of bed and walked towards the door, grumbling to himself. He pulled it open, ready to shout at whoever was making all the noise, but his anger quickly evaporated.

"Hermione?" He looked at her, studying her appearance. Her hair was pulled back sloppily, and she had huge circles under eyes. Her eyes themselves lacked their usual brightness and she was hunched over slightly, clearly exhausted.

She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest. Dazed and confused, he pulled her inside and held her tightly, shutting the door behind them. He buried his face in her hair, rubbing small, soothing circles on her back. He had no idea how long they stood there, just holding each other. He finally stepped back and looked at her.

"Are you ok?" She nodded and moved into the living room, collapsing on the couch. Harry moved into the room and flicked his wand. A cup of water and a tea bag zoomed around the corner and into his hand. He heated up the water and set the tea bag in, handing it to Hermione. "You look like you need this." She smiled up at him gratefully and took the cup.

"There was an emergency at St. Mungo's. They didn't have enough Healers on hand so they called me in, since I'm close by. The apothecary owner in Hogsmeade, we guess he got distracted or confused because he added an ingredient to a potion at the wrong time. A fairly complicated one too. The potion ended up exploding. It blew up the whole building. It will be all over the papers tomorrow."

He stared at her, his mouth agape, and sat down next to her. "What? Was anyone hurt?"

She nodded and looked down at her hands. "Dozens of people got hit with debris, some got sprayed by the potion and were left with some third degree burns. One man even lost a leg. Luckily he got to the hospital in time so they were able to repair it, for the most part. But, the owner..." She paused, her breath shaky. "He was covered in fourth degree burns. His muscles were burned. It was…he didn't make it, Harry." Her lips trembled and a few tears started to slide down her face.

Harry pulled her close, rubbing her back again. "I'm so sorry, Hermione…" He wiped the tears from her face. "But it's not your fault. I'm sure you did everything you could to help him. Sometimes all you can do is make sure they aren't in pain. I'm sure his family won't blame you for this. They all know that you and the other Healers did your best."

Hermione shook her head, her eyes glistening with tears. "In three years, I've never once lost someone that I was taking care of personally, Harry. I saved so many people. Why couldn't I save him?"

Harry wiped away the tears and kissed her forehead. "Fourth degree burns are horrible, Hermione, especially when someone is completely covered in them. Even with magic it's hard to bring people back from that. Not only do those burns destroy the skin and nerves, but almost everything else. It's damn near impossible to save someone from that." He cupped her face in his hands, brushing some stray hairs away from her face. "You are the smartest and most talented witch I know, Hermione. But even you can't save everyone."

She looked at him, her eyes scanning his face before she pulled away, wiping away the last of her tears and taking a calming breath. "I know, it's just hard to watch people die. I saw enough of that during the war. It's another reason I'm switching to teaching. Less chance of people dying at school."

Harry snorted. "You do remember our school years, right Hermione? We almost died practically every year." Hermione tentatively smiled, and shoved him lightly.

"Yeah, but I entirely blame you. You have a knack for finding trouble wherever you go." Harry pretended to be offended and crossed his arms.

"I don't find trouble. It finds me." Hermione gave a little laugh and snuggled up to him, pulling her legs up onto the couch.

"I'm sorry I missed our date. I tried to have someone contact you, but everyone was too busy."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. She immediately noticed and raised an eyebrow, sitting up.

"Harry?"

He grinned sheepishly and looked down. "I may have overreacted a bit. I didn't even try to contact _you_ to see if you were ok. I just assumed that either something came up or you didn't want to go out with me. Unfortunately my emotions went into overdrive so I worked myself up, thinking that you didn't like me…" Hermione was silent for a little bit. Harry peaked over at her, hoping she wasn't upset. Instead she gave him a small smile and squeezed his upper arm.

"Harry, for someone as smart as you, you can still be so daft sometimes. Of course I wanted to go out with you! Otherwise I would have said no. Just next time, send a patronus or something before you freak out, ok? Promise?"

Harry nodded, smiling widely. "I promise." He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back, perfectly content. Hermione's fingers were trashing small patterns on his leg. They stared into the fireplace, enjoying the comfortable silence for a while.

"Hey, Harry?" He glanced down at her. "Can I stay here tonight? I'm too tired to go anywhere." He smiled at her and stood up, lifting her into his arms.

"Of course you can, Mione. You're more than welcome to stay here whenever you want, or need."

Hermione giggled as Harry carried her up the stairs. He paused in the hallway, suddenly nervous.

"Er, Hermione? Um, I don't, I mean, um, where do you want to sleep?"

Hermione glanced down the hallway at all the different doors before looking up at him, gazing into his eyes. "It's my last night here before I move to Hogwarts. Can I sleep with you?" She bit her lip and looked down shyly. Harry's face flushed bright red as he smiled goofily.

"Of course you can, Hermione." He carried her into the room and set her down gently. His hand instantly ran through his hair, a nervous habit. He avoided her gaze, trying to remain calm. "There's a bathroom through that door, if you want to go shower or change or something." Hearing no response, he turned his gaze to Hermione and froze.

She was facing away from him, in the middle of undressing. Her shirt was on the floor and was quickly joined by her pants, leaving her in just her bra and knickers. The matching set was pitch black, and it contrasted with her pale, smooth skin perfectly, and they accentuated her natural curves. His eyes travelled down her body, pausing on her bum. All coherent thoughts flew out of his head as he stood there, frozen.

Hermione waved her wand, transforming her clothes into an old shirt and some shorts. She went to grab them and turned so she was facing Harry. His gaze immediately shot up to her chest. His breathing quickened as his eyes soaked in the image of her perfect breasts. He immediately took a mental snapshot and stored the image in his brain for later use.

Hermione cleared her throat, making him jump and look away, coughing. "Er…I just, I'm going to go change…" Hermione smirked as he grabbed some pajamas and ran into the bathroom. He shut the door and leaned against it, breathing heavily. How could he have never _seen_ her before? He had seen her in bikinis, but he had never properly seen just how perfect her body was. He closed his eyes and started to calm his breathing before changing into his pajamas and walking back to the bed.

He paused slightly before climbing in the bed, a smile on his face. Hermione was out cold. She must have fallen asleep as soon as he had gone into the bathroom. He leaned over and kissed her cheek before pulling her against him, wrapping his arms around her. Happier than he had ever been in months, he quickly fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry was startled awake by an alarm. He groaned and rolled over, only to get a mouthful of hair. Spitting it out, he sat up, running a hand down the side of his face.

"Blimey, Hermione. Why even let us go to sleep if we were going to be up this early?"

Hermione rolled over onto her back and stretched her arms up, exposing the skin on her stomach. Harry glanced over and smirked. "Harry," she warned, but Harry ignored her and reached over tickling her stomach. She let out a squeal and squirmed to get away, falling off the bed and landing with a thud.

"Prat," she muttered from the floor, standing up. Harry chuckled and smiled innocently at her.

"Good morning!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You're lucky I don't have time today to exact my revenge." Harry gulped and scooted backwards as Hermione walked towards him. She glared at him before placing a quick kiss on his cheek and walked away to the shower.

Harry stared after her, admiring the view. The door shut and he sighed in disappointment. Standing up, he let loose a big yawn. He scratched the back of his head and padded towards the doorway. "I'm going to make coffee. Lots of coffee. And breakfast. Pancakes ok?"

"Chocolate chip and whipped cream?"

Harry chuckled and walked out the door. "Is there any other way to eat them?" He headed down the stairs to the kitchen, making a quick pit stop in the guest bathroom to brush his teeth and freshen up. Once in the kitchen he started the coffee and got to work on the pancakes. Oddly enough, cooking was sometimes very soothing for him. He never though it would be, since he had to cook all the time for the Dursleys, but it was much more fun to cook for someone he cared for. He flicked his wand and dishes flew off the shelves onto the table. He placed a pile of pancakes in the middle and poured coffee into two cups.

Hearing a door shut, he turned and held out a cup of coffee. He stopped, seeing Ron walk through the door, but shrugged and offered him a cup anyway. "Ron. Coffee?" Ron shrugged and grabbed the cup.

"Cheers, mate. You hear about the explosion at Hogsmeade?" Harry nodded and poured a third cup of coffee with a little bit of milk and a teaspoon of sugar, just how Hermione liked it.

"Yeah. Hermione got called in to the hospital to help out with the casualties. She was there until the ungodly hours of the morning."

Ron yawned and reached for a pancake. "I was out all night as well. Luckily it's my last investigation, although there's not really much to investigate. I'm going to quit and help George at the joke shop."

Harry sat down across from Ron, sipping his coffee and pulling a few pancakes onto his own plate. "Hermione told me about that. That's great, Ron. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more than working at the Ministry. Less chance of death anyway." He poured some syrup on his pancakes and took a bite. "By the way, thanks for backing out of our dinner with Hermione last week. Really. I owe you one."

Ron shrugged it off and shoved another pancake into his mouth. "It's no big deal. You did ask her out though, right? That was the whole point of me turning down food."

Harry chuckled and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I did. Our first date was supposed to be last night. Obviously that didn't happen. She leaves for Hogwarts today." He frowned down at his place. He wished she didn't have to leave so soon.

Ron opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by an energetic Hermione bursting through the door. Harry looked up at the noise, his jaw going slack. She was walking towards the table, wearing her shorts from last night and his old Hogwarts Quidditch jersey. "I hope it's ok that I'm wearing this. I didn't feel like transfiguring my clothes again."

Harry nodded, his throat suddenly dry. Ron smirked at him and waggled his eyebrows before continuing to eat his food. "Morning, Hermione."

Hermione jumped a little, surprised to see Ron there. "Oh. Good morning, Ronald. Harry, where's my coffee?" He pointed at the counter and returned to his pancakes. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek as she walked by, earning him another grin from Ron. His face turned red as he glared at Ron, who just snickered.

"I have to finish packing my things today. Then I'll need help Floo-ing everything to Hogwarts. Do you want to join us?"

Ron shook his head and stood up. "I actually have to get back to work to finish my report. I just stopped by to see if Harry had heard about the explosion." He grabbed another pancake and headed out. "Thanks for breakfast, mate."

* * *

Harry stepped out of the fireplace, carrying the last box of Hermione's things. He set the box down and wiped the sweat off of his face. "That's the last one Hermione." He glanced around her living quarters. It was littered with boxes. Other than that it was fairly spacious. The kitchenette was just off of the living room, there was a decent sized bedroom and a small bathroom. Lucky for Hermione, there were bookshelves along all of the walls. He doubted it was enough space for all of the books she had.

Hermione's head popped up over a stack of boxes. "Harry! Thank you so much for helping me. Otherwise, this would have taken twice as long." She stood up and walked over. Bending down, she opened up the box and flicked her wand. The dishes inside zoomed over to the kitchen. She walked around to all of the boxes, flicking her wand. Everything flew to their rightful places. Except for a few boxes. Hermione walked over to those and started unpacking her books by hand.

Harry chuckled softly to himself. Leave it to Hermione to use magic for everything except her books. Walking over, he bent down and picked up a few books. "Any particular order you want these in?"

"Separate them according to subject, and then organize them alphabetically." Harry looked down at the books in his hands and then at the pile of boxes containing books, inwardly groaning.

They worked in silence for almost two hours, separating and organizing all of her books. As Harry had predicted, there wasn't enough space on the shelves. Dozens of books remained on the floor. He quickly transfigured a quill into another bookcase and levitated it into her bedroom.

"You can put the rest in there, if you want. Or your favorite ones. Like _Hogwarts, A History._ "

She smiled at him and picked up her books, hurrying into the bedroom to put them away. Harry followed after her to help, but paused when he saw the pictures on Hermione's nightstand. The closest one was a recent picture of her and her parents. Luckily she had been able to find them and return their memories after the war. The next one was a picture of her with himself and Ron, taken at the first anniversary of Voldemort's death, back when he was with Ginny and she was with Ron. But it was the last one that had caught his attention. It was from the Yule Ball, back before everything took a turn for the worst. It was just him and Hermione, laughing at some stupid joke he had told her. He smiled fondly at the memory. Part of him wished that they could go back in time to that moment, before so Voldemort returned, before so many of his loved ones had died. He smiled at it one last time and turned to help Hermione but realized she was already done.

They walked back out into her little living room and stood there awkwardly. Harry glanced down at his watch, realizing that it was getting pretty late. He hadn't realized that it had taken them all day to move her over here. They probably would have been done sooner, but they had an unspoken agreement to do it the muggle way so as to have more time together. He reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Do you want to go grab some dinner?"

She reached up and caressed his face gently, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry, Harry. But I already told McGonagall and some other professors that I would eat with them tonight, to start going over things."

Harry sighed and nodded, releasing his hold on her hand. "Alright. Well, I should probably get going…" He looked into her eyes, feeling his heart clench. He didn't want to leave her. He had no idea when they would be able to see each other again.

Hermione stepped into his arms, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm going to miss you, Harry."

He pulled her close and held her tight, burying his face in her hair. "I wish you didn't have to live here," he mumbled. "You could Floo home at nights and live with me…"

He felt Hermione laugh lightly. "I wish I could too, Harry. But you know that the Professor's stay here during the school year. What if a student needs me and I'm not there?" Harry sighed and squeezed her tighter. "But I promise you, Harry. I will write to you at least twice a week, and we can visit each other on Hogsmeade weekends. You can come here when I have to chaperone the kids, and I could Floo to Grimmauld Place on my free weekends. We can make this work."

Harry stepped back and looked down at her. "I won't be at Grimmauld Place for quite a while, Hermione. Only until the New Year, and then the Cup begins, remember? I'll be traveling all over Europe."

A frown spread across Hermione's face. He swore he could hear the gears in her mind turning, but then she shrugged and smiled. "Then I'll Floo to wherever you are on weekends. Even if you're at practice or a game all day, I'll come visit so we can at least have dinner together and enjoy our evenings."

Harry nodded and pulled her close again. He was still unsure about how they would make this work. Last time he started off a relationship and never saw his girlfriend was when they went searching for Horcruxes. And that relationship didn't end well. But Hermione wasn't Ginny. He knew that she would never cheat on him. She would talk to him about any problems they had, and not just assume that he was hiding things from her. Ginny never liked how Harry couldn't talk about what had happened. It was just too hard for him.

He brushed cupped her face and stared into her caramel covered eyes. They were glistening with some tears that threatened to fall. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, followed by one on each of her cheeks. Finally, he barely pressed his lips against hers. He rested his forehead on hers and they smiled at each other.

After a few minutes, Harry straightened up and gave her hand a squeeze. "You'll be a great Professor, Hermione. I guarantee you that every single one of the students who takes your class will do amazing. You're a great teacher."

She smiled and squeezed his hand in return. "Thanks, Harry. Good luck with training. I'll write you soon."

He gave her a crooked smile and gave her one last kiss. "I'll make sure to let you know when I'm traveling, so you know where to send the letters." He let go of her hand and stepped into the fireplace, giving her a smile before he Floo'd home, without her. As soon as he couldn't see her anymore, his heart broke. He furiously wiped away some tears and searched for his Firebolt. He needed to fly. He needed something to take his mind off of the small Hermione-shaped hole in his heart.


	9. Chapter 9

The following week without Hermione passed by quickly. Before he knew it, classes at Hogwarts started and he had started training. Every day for nine hours, Harry and his teammates were at the Quidditch stadium. Only a few hours were actually spent flying to practice new maneuvers. The majority of the time was spent in the gym underneath the stadium. They mostly worked no strength and endurance. Most of their time was spent spotting each other with weights and running on the treadmill. Even though Harry was the seeker and didn't necessarily need a lot of strength, he still participated in the training. He needed to be able to last in a Quidditch game in case it went on for days.

After the third day of training, Harry collapsed on his bed as soon as he got home, barely able to move. All of his muscles were screaming in pain. What he needed was a nice hot bath, but that could wait until after he replied to Hermione. She had sent him a letter after the first day of classes. He had meant to respond to her, but he was gone all day and was usually too tired and sore to even pick up a quill. He winced as he sat up and reached for the letter Hermione had written him. A smile crept across his face as he looked at her handwriting.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I am so glad that I accepted Minerva's offer to teach here! (She won't let me call her McGonagall or Professor anymore. It's so strange!) I feel like I've finally found my place in the magical world! The sorting ceremony was spectacular! It's a completely different feeling, watching it as a Professor, especially since I'm not supposed to have a soft spot for any houses. (I'm rooting for Gryffindor though, as always!) There are so many new students. I'm sure their year is at least twice the size ours was! But what surprised me the most, is how well the houses are getting along now! Even Slytherin and Gryffindor aren't at each other throats. Minerva implemented some new rules to help inspire friendship between the houses. It is only required to sit at your house's table during the Sorting Feast and the final feast of the year. Hopefully, this will encourage the students to make more friends!_

 _The first day of classes went swimmingly. All of my students were so excited to have me as a professor. Me! Probably because I know the Boy-Who-Lived. They spent the first half of each lesson begging me for stories about our adventures. They even asked if we really rode on a hippogriff our third year to set Sirius free. You'll be glad to know that I restrained myself from assigning homework for the first week. I've decided that it would be best for me to get to know them and for them to get to know each other. Maybe they can go to each other for help whenever I'm not available. I'm also thinking of forming a sort of support group for first year muggle-borns. I remember how scary it was for me to leave my parents and go to a strange magical place like Hogwarts. I'm hoping that they can learn to help support each other through the times when they really miss their families._

 _I miss you terribly, Harry. I know you won't get this until late at night since you started training today. I hope it all goes well. I can't wait to hear all about it. I wish I could be there when you get home at nights, but I know that I'm needed here to help these students learn. All I want right now is to feel your arms around me, but I know I'll have to wait for us both to be free. Hopefully, I can see you soon._

 _All my love,_

 _Hermione_

Harry smiled and ran his fingers over her handwriting, wishing that she were here instead of the letter. He was glad she was having a good time. It made it slightly easier to deal with her being away from him. He grabbed a quill and scribbled a quick response. He was in desperate need of a hot bath and some sleep.

 _Hermione,_

 _I'm so proud of you. I'm glad you finally found what you want to do. I have no doubt that you will prove to be a fantastic role model for all of you students. I'm as surprised as you are at the friendliness between houses, but I'm glad things are better. Things are finally getting better._

 _I miss you as well. I just got home from my third day of training. We mostly do strength and endurance. As you can imagine, I am definitely not as in shape as I thought I was. My whole body is in pain. I can barely hold the quill still long enough to reply to you. I'm going to go take a nice hot bath and try and get a good night's sleep. I wish you could join me…_

 _Harry_

 _P.S When is your first Hogsmeade weekend? I want to see you._

He folded the letter and gave it to Archimedes, who was waiting patiently by the window as if he knew that Harry needed him. "Take this to Hermione, please. She's at Hogwarts." The dark owl let out a soft hoot and flew out the window. Harry watched until he disappeared from sight and then slowly made his way to the bathroom. He felt bad that he didn't write a longer letter, but he was just too exhausted.

He tapped the tub with his wand, immediately filling it with hot water. His muscles ached as he slowly pulled his shirt over his head and slid out of his pants. He lowered himself into the water, inhaling sharply as the water burned him at first. His muscles slowly started relaxing, allowing him to relax as well. It took all of his self-control to stay awake during the bath. He decided to cut the bath short and go to bed, but sleep eluded him for a bit. His body was exhausted, but his mind was racing. All he could think about was Hermione. Her smile, her eyes, her laughter. The way her body fit perfectly with his when they snuggled. He eventually drifted off, a smile on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

_September 9_ _th_

 _Harry,_

 _The first week of classes was successful. I feel such a close connection to all of my students. It was definitely worth it to not assign homework during that week. I know, Hermione Granger not assigning homework? Seems like the end of the world, right? The first few days of this week have been amazing as well. We finally started going over the actual material. My older students are all so bright and intelligent. I have no worries about them taking their N.E. this year. They will do so well._

 _The third year students seem just as intelligent. I'm so glad I'm teaching one of the elective courses. It means that everyone here actually wants to learn about this subject. It makes my job just that much easier. And don't worry. I'm not assigning ungodly amounts of homework. I don't want to torture the poor kids._

 _I'm glad training is going well. I'm sure that after the first week or so, your muscles will not hurts as much. Hot baths are always good for relaxing. I also recommend some chamomile or lavender tea. That's what my dad always drinks after a workout. He claims it works for him._

 _Our first Hogsmeade weekend is actually on my birthday! I hope you can make it. I know you'll be exhausted from training, but I would love to have dinner with you for my birthday._

 _I know that being apart so early in a relationship isn't easy. It's rather difficult, because all I want to do is snog you silly. But if you think about it, the early parts of a relationship are all about getting to know each other. We've known each other for ten years. So we are only missing out on the physical parts of a relationship. But I'm sure that we can get caught up on that later when I see you._

 _I miss you,_

 _Hermione_

 _September 12_ _th_

 _Hermione,_

 _I was going to wait and write to you tomorrow, since its Sunday and my one day off of training, but I promised Oliver and the rest of the team that I would go to the Burrow tonight and stay tomorrow so Mrs. Weasley can keep an eye on me. I had a bit of an accident during training today. I got a bit distracted and didn't see the bludger coming at me. Hit me square in the back of the head. Kind of a nasty concussion, but I'm fine. I promise. Mrs. Weasley is prepared to wake me every other hour or so tonight to make sure I'm alright. I doubt I'll get much time to write to you tomorrow with her watching my every move. I haven't quite told anyone other than Ron that we are seeing each other. Katie and Oliver know I've been crushing on you, but not that we made it official. I wanted you to be there when we tell them. Mainly so I won't be the only one getting crushed by one of Mrs. Weasley's infamous hugs, haha. Ron won't say anything. He's having a great time working at the joke shop with George. He even moved into the flat above the shop with George._

 _I miss you so much. I will do my best to get to Hogsmeade for you birthday. I wouldn't miss it for the world._

 _Lots of love,_

 _Harry_

 _P.S. George proposed to Angelina and she said yes! I think they want to get married rather soon, probably within the next year._

 _September 14_ _th_

 _You got hit in the head with a bludger!? Oh Merlin, I hope you're alright. I wish I could be there to take care of you, but I know Mrs. Weasley has that under control. I appreciate you not telling anyone without me, especially since it's a rather new relationship and we haven't even had our first date yet (only five more days!). Minerva and the rest of the teachers send you their love. And Hagrid wants you to stop by and see him when you can. He said he's been working on a special project just for you. I managed to get him to tell me what it is, and I can guarantee that you will love it._

 _I'm glad Ron is doing well. George as well. They've all had a hard time in the past few years, with Fred's death and everything. I think that having someone else to work with will continue to help George heal, even though I know that you never fully heal from something like that. And give George my congratulations! I'm so happy that they are together. I can't wait for that wedding._

 _Please be more careful in your training sessions, Harry. I don't want my boyfriend to lose his memory and forget me._

 _Hermione_

 _September 16_ _th_

 _Hermione,_

 _I could never forget you. You're my best friend, my girlfriend, and the smartest, most beautiful, witch I've ever known._

 _Mrs. Weasley did a great job taking care of me. She fed me food nonstop the whole time I was there. Thank Merlin for training otherwise I would have gained a ton of weight. If you see Hagrid, tell him I will see him the next time I'm at Hogsmeade, not counting this weekend. This weekend is all about you._

 _I can't wait to see you,_

 _Harry_

 _September 18_ _th_

 _Harry,_

 _Tomorrow's the day! Not only is it my birthday, but I finally get to see you again! I know it's only been about two or three weeks since we last saw each other, but it's felt like an eternity. Meet me at the Three Broomsticks for dinner at seven. Be prepared to be bombarded by the students. They've been dying to meet you. They've been asking me to bring you around so they can meet_ the _Harry Potter._

 _See you soon,_

 _Hermione_


	11. Chapter 11

Harry glanced at his watch for the fifth time in the past hour. Training was almost over for the day, and that meant he would finally be able to go see Hermione. It was her birthday today, and he had gotten something that he knew she would appreciate. Plus it was a Hogsmeade weekend, so it meant that they could have the whole weekend together. She didn't know it, but he had gotten a room at the Three Broomsticks for the night, so that he could stay over. He didn't want to assume automatically that he could stay with her, especially since it was a surprise.

The last few minutes of practice slowly came to a close. Harry ran past everyone into the locker rooms, quickly jumping in the shower to rinse off the sweat. He wrapped his towel around his waist and stepped out, freezing when he saw his teammates staring at him.

"What?"

Oliver smirked. "You just seem extra excited to leave practice today. It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that it's a certain witch's birthday today, would it?"

Harry felt his face flush and started to stammer. "Oh. Well, uh. Actually, I am…Yes…" Oliver and Katie both grinned widely. "Don't tell anyone though, ok? Not a lot of people know yet. Not even the Weasley's. She wants to be there when we tell them."

They both nodded, their grins getting even wider. "No problem, Harry. Now go and get out of here."

He grinned back at them and hurriedly pulled on the clothes he had picked out for the night, some jeans and a green shirt, one that Hermione had mentioned was one of her favorites on him. He didn't even bother to fix his hair. A final glance at his watch told him that it was almost seven. He turned and ran to the nearest fireplace in the stadium and Floo'd to Hogsmeade.

He stepped out of the fireplace and into the Leaky Cauldron. It was packed. People were everywhere. A group of older students, who were allowed to stay out a bit later now that the war was over, were bent over their books, studying. He wiggled his way through the crowd, keeping an eye out for the bushy brown hair that belonged to his Hermione.

He finally spotted her hair up at the bar. He grinned and walked up behind her, gently placing his arm around her waist. "Happy birthday, beautiful." He watched as a smile spread across her face. Hermione jumped up and down excitedly before hugging him tightly.

"Harry! Oh Merlin, I missed you. How's your head? Are you hungry? You must still be sore from training. Let's go sit down." He chuckled and let her drag him over to a table in the corner.

"I'm fine, Hermione. My head is all better. I'm not as sore anymore. And I am famished." He sat down across from her, a huge smile on his face.

"I'm so happy you were able to come tonight, Harry. The past few weeks have been amazing and terrible at the same time. I've missed you." She reached across the table and held his hand tightly. "It's really weird being at Hogwarts without you and Ron causing trouble."

Harry pretended to look affronted. "We weren't the only ones who caused trouble. I remember a certain brown-haired witch who convinced us to take Polyjuice potion. The same witch even convinced me to start an illegal Defense club. You're quite a rule breaker yourself."

Hermione laughed and let go of his hand. "You guys were a bad influence on me."

Their conversation was interrupted as Rosmerta wandered over to take their orders. She bent over to give Harry a hug, going on and on about how he had saved her pub because it would surely have been destroyed during the war. Hermione stifled a giggle.

When they were finally alone again, as alone as they could be in the crowded pub, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the present he had gotten her. He placed them on the table and tapped them with his wand, returning them to a normal size.

"I got you a little something for you birthday. Go on and open in." Hermione grabbed the presents and slowly started pealing the paper off of the first one, revealing a box filled with books. "I know everyone always gets you books for presents, but I thought these would interest you. I found them in the Black library at Grimmauld Place. They are all about Ancient Runes and whatnot. They are pretty rare. I figured you could use them in your research and classes."

Hermione smiled and flipped through each one real quick. "Thanks, Harry. These are amazing! Is it alright if I browse the library sometime and borrow some books?"

Harry shook his head. "You don't have to borrow them, Hermione. Come over whenever you want and take whatever books you want. Keep them. What's mine is yours, Hermione. Besides, you know I don't read that much. They will just get all dusty on the shelves."

Hermione silence him by placing a soft kiss on his lips. He pouted slightly as she pulled away from him to return to her presents. He had been craving the feeling and taste of her lips for three weeks, and now she was teasing him with little kisses.

Hermione opened the second package and gasped. She reached in and pulled out a beautiful feather quill. "Is this what I think it is, Harry?" He nodded, eliciting another gasp from her mouth.

"Diction Quill. Not like those stupid Quik-Quote Quills Rita Skeeter uses. These right down only what is told to them. I figured you could use it for grading papers. Spare you from some carpal tunnel."

She smiled softly and very gently put it in her bag. "I really appreciate it, Harry. You didn't have to get me anything, you know. The best gift is having you here with me."

He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. "I know, but I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you. There's one more present, by the way. It's kind of a selfish gift. More to my benefit than yours."

She raised an eyebrow at him, immediately curious. She tore open the present, not being as careful as she was with the other ones. Her face turned red as she pulled out Harry's Quidditch shirt.

"I wanted you to have it. Seeing you in it that one morning, Merlin, that was hot. I don't know why, but it looks amazing on you. Plus it lets other people know that you're mine."

Hermione's face flushed even more, smiling shyly. "I love it. I love all my gifts. Thank you, Harry."

They spent the rest of their dinner catching each other up with their lives. Hermione told him all about her students. She knew each of them very well, and considered herself more of a friend to the sixth and seventh year students. Harry, in turn, told her all about his training. How exhausting but rewarding it was. He wouldn't change it for anything. When they were done, Harry paid and they left to walk around the little village.

He held her hand lightly as they walked around in a comfortable silence. Neither one really knew where they were going. They just followed where their feet them. But then the clock chimed. It was nine, and everyone, even the professors, had to go in for the night. Hermione turned and looked up at Harry, staring at his emerald eyes.

"I don't want you to leave yet…"

Harry smiled, a little sheepishly, and squeezed her hand. "I um, actually have a room at the Three Broomsticks. I was going to stay there tonight and surprise you tomorrow. I figured I could help you with grading some of the tests or quizzes or something. I'd do anything if it meant I could hang out with you."

The smile on Hermione's face was breathtaking. Her eyes lit up and she threw her arms around him, squeezing him. "I'm glad. Two hours with you is not enough time…" She looked back into his eyes and chewed her lip nervously. "But I don't want you to stay there. I want you to stay with me…"

Harry swallowed. His throat dry all of a sudden. He stared down at Hermione. She looked so excited and nervous at the same time. He thought back to the night she had spent with him, and how wonderful it felt to sleep with her in his arms. It was the easiest decision he ever made.

"I'd love to. Lead the way, Professor." Hermione giggled and pulled him towards the castle. She led him to the fourth floor and down the hallway to her office. It was a quaint little office. Everything was perfectly organized. Nothing was out of place. It was very Hermione. She tapped one of the stones in the wall with her wand, and the door to her living quarters appeared. She pulled him in and shut the door behind them.

As soon as the door was shut, Harry felt himself being thrown back into it. His eyes widened as Hermione crashed her lips into his. He immediately pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. The kiss was filled with longing and desire. It was completely different than all of their other ones. Her hands found their way to his hair and he sighed happily.

Hermione pulled back and looked at him, her eyes filled with lust. "Harry, take me to the bed."

His mouth dropped open slightly and he cleared his throat. "I, um, are you sure?"

She nodded. "Positive."

Harry's face burst into a grin as he lifted her into his arms, carrying her bridal style to her bed. He set her down gently, and climbed up next to her. As soon as he was on the bed, Hermione's hands grabbed his face and pulled it down to hers. Her lips met his and she immediately slid her tongue into his mouth.

Harry immediately gave up the small struggle for control. He knew Hermione liked to be in control of almost everything. It was better for her to set the speed of things, since only she knew how far and fast she wanted to go.

But then she slowly pulled away, smiling. "I'll be right back." She stood up and hurried in the bathroom to brush her teeth. She knew it was a bit ridiculous, but it was just a small excuse to slow down her heart. She wasn't a virgin by any means, but that didn't mean that she wasn't nervous. She didn't want to be nervous. She wanted to give everything to Harry.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled off her clothes, leaving herself clad in only a dark red lingerie set. She nodded at her reflection in the mirror and headed back into the bedroom. What she saw made her smile.

Harry was passed out on the bed, his chest rising slowly as he breathed. She reached behind the door and grabbed her robe, pulling it on. Walking over to the bed, she looked at Harry before climbing in next to him, pressing a kiss to his chest. She had known that he was exhausted from all of his training, and she didn't hold it against him. Maybe it was for the best that he had fallen asleep. She didn't want to rush into things with Harry. She brushed his untidy hair out of his face and snuggled up against him.

"Good night, Harry."


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione woke up first in the morning, a smile on her face as she remembered that Harry was with her. Sitting up, she looked over at him. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. His hair was messier than ever, making her giggle to herself. Leaning over, she placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

She climbed out of bed, showered, and got dressed before heading to the little kitchenette. She searched through her cupboards before finding everything she needed for breakfast. Pretty soon, the smell of coffee and bacon wafted through her living quarters. She poured some coffee into a mug and placed it on a try, followed by a plate loaded with eggs and bacon. Picking up the tray, she carried it into the bedroom and set it on the nightstand next to Harry. She smiled and climbed on top of him, placing kisses all over his face

A smile slowly spread across his face as he opened his eyes. He stretched and then placed his hands on her hips. "Mmm…I could get used to this." He sat up and kissed her softly. She kissed him back and moved off of him so he could eat.

"Harry?"

"Hm?"

"I know you said that this weekend was all about me, but I think we should go to Hagrid's so he can give you the gift he's been working on for you. Besides, you haven't seen him in a while, and Buckbeak is there. They miss you."

Harry nodded and shoveled his breakfast into his mouth. He hadn't eaten much at dinner last night and was starving. He finished only a few minutes later and started sipping his coffee.

"We can do whatever you want, Mione."

She smiled and brushed her lips very softly against his.

"Good. Now go get ready. I want to try and get there before most of the students are up, unless you don't mind getting mobbed today."

Harry chuckled and rolled out of bed. "Alright. I'm just going to go shower." He paused and turned to Hermione, slightly embarrassed. "I forgot to bring clothes for today," he muttered quietly.

Hermione snickered. "You mean to tell me that you booked a room at the Three Broomsticks, intent on staying the night, and didn't even remember to pack clothes?" Harry grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Hermione walked over to her closet and started digging around. "Go shower, Harry. I'll find some clothes that I can transfigure for you."

"Thanks, Hermione. You're the best." He hurried into the bathroom and stripped, climbing into the shower. He turned the water a hot as it could go. The soreness from his training had caught up to him, and the water was relaxing. He climbed out of the shower and dried off his hair. Wrapping the towel around his hips, he walked back into the bedroom.

Hermione was nowhere to be seen, and neither were his dirty clothes or any clean clothes. He turned and stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room. "Hermione? Do you have the clothes for me?" He stopped short when he saw her standing at the entrance of her living quarters. Minerva McGonagall stood in the doorway with a young student, having a serious discussion with Hermione. They all turned to look at him as he entered the room.

He wished the floor would just open up and swallow him. The blood rushed to his face as he stood there. McGonagall stared at him for a second before smirking. Hermione's face was just as red as his. The young student however, stared at him. He reckoned it was a sixth year, judging by his height. The boy's eyes flicked up to his forehead, obviously looking for the scar. When he found it, his jaw dropped.

"You're Harry Potter."

"Er…yeah, that's me." He rubbed the back of his neck and slowly started backing away. "Um, I'll just be in here…getting dressed…sorry." He turned and practically ran back into bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

He leaned against the door, absolutely mortified. Not only had a young boy seen him almost naked in Hermione's quarters, but so had Minerva McGonagall of all people. He could already hear the stern talking to that he was no doubt going to receive from her. He had gotten so many over the years that he already knew what she would say. He quickly grabbed some of Hermione's old clothes, transfiguring them into something he could wear. He heard the main door shut and poked his head out of the door.

"Are they gone," he whispered.

Hermione stared at him and nodded before bursting into laughter. She braced herself on the couch as tears started falling from her eyes. Harry frowned and crossed his arms.

"It is not funny, Hermione. McGonagall of all people just saw me in nothing but a towel! This is awful!"

Hermione snorted and wiped away the tears. "That's why it's so funny."

"Hmph."

Hermione walked over to him and poked his nose. "For the record, I could get used to seeing you in just a towel. Just, never again while McGonagall is here." She started laughing again at the look on Harry's face. "C'mon, Harry. Let's go to Hagrid's."

Harry sighed and followed her out the door. They made sure to use as many passageways and abandoned hallways as possible, to avoid the students who would no doubt be hearing about how Harry Potter was in the building. As they walked by an empty classroom, Hermione suddenly stopped and pulled Harry into it.

"Hermione? Why are we in an abandoned classroom?"

She smiled innocently at him and shut the door behind them, casting a few silencing charms. She grabbed his face and pulled it down to hers and proceeded to snog him senseless. When they walked out of the classroom a few minutes later, he had a huge grin plastered on his face and his hair was a bit more tousled than usual.

"Wow…"

Hermione giggled and continued leading him towards Hagrid's.

"Who knew that Hermione Granger of all people has secretly always wanted to snog someone senseless in a classroom?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and opened the door to the grounds. "Keep up, Potter. Or it won't happen again." Harry's eyes went wide and he hurried after her.

When they got to Hagrid's, Harry first went to visit Buckbeak. He bowed, and when he received one in return, he walked up and started petting him. "Hey, pal. It's been awhile." Buckbeak cocked his head, staring at Harry. "I promise I will try and visit more often. And next time I'll bring you a nice dead ferret, ok?" The hippogriff nodded and went back to cleaning its hooves.

Harry smiled and walked up to the hut, knocking on the door. Hagrid flung open the door and grabbed Harry, nearly crushing him to death.

"'Arry! Come in, come in. I just be the kettle on. We'll have some tea and then I'll give you that surprise I've been working on fer ya." He set Harry down and moved so they could enter. Harry took a few deep breaths, thankful that he didn't suffocate.

Hagrid poured them each a cup of tea that they politely, yet warily, took a sip of. No one could ever forget the rock cakes Hagrid had made.

"So Harry, I bet yer wondering what I have for ya." He stood and walked to the back of the cabin, returning with a small box in his hand. "It's a lot bigger than this. I had Hermione shrink it so that you could carry it better." Harry reached over and grabbed it. He set it on the table and opened. Inside, were hundreds of tiny little vials, each filled with a familiar looking substance.

"You remember that book I made you, 'Arry? Well, its sorta like that. I went around to the professors and some people who went to school with yer parents. Each of those vials contains a memory of yer parents. I figured pictures can only do so much. Thought you might like to see some of these."

Harry stared at the box on his lap, getting choked up. He looked at some of the labels on some of the vials. There were memories all the way from his parents' time in Hogwarts, some looked as if they would be some of the detentions his father had with Sirius and Remus. There was even a whole section that was labeled "Potter Wedding." But the one that interested him the most was labeled "Harry's First Birthday". He set the box aside and walked over to Hagrid, hugging him. "Thank you," he mumbled.

Hermione smiled and wiped away a stray tear. "McGonagall said that you can have Dumbledore's Penseive. That way you can watch these whenever you want." Harry smiled at the two of them.

"This is the best thing that I could ever ask for. Thank you, Hagrid." Hagrid sniffed and turned away, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough of the tears. Go on now. Get out a here before we are all blubbering. I've got cabbages to protect from flesh-eating slugs."

Harry gave him one last hug before walking outside with Hermione. Once outside, he stopped and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you…"

Hermione smiled and held him tight. "Don't thank me. It was all Hagrid's idea."

Harry smiled and gave her a kiss. "I know, but you did help me. I'm surprised you managed to keep it a secret though. We all know how you almost ruined Ron's surprise birthday party a few years ago."

Hermione gasped and pulled away. "I did not almost ruin it!"

Harry threw back his head and laughed. "Hermione, you told him that you got the cake for his party. Granted, you were a little tipsy so you might have thought you were talking to Ginny or someone."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and placed her hands on her hips. "For all we know, he thought I meant a normal cake for a small birthday celebration."

Harry rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's alright, Hermione. I still like you."

"Hmph."

They walked towards the castle in silence and holding hands. When they arrived at the entrance, Hermione turned towards him and smiled. "I like you, too."


	13. Chapter 13

_I just want to thank you all for the nice reviews you have left! I just ask that you bear with me for the next chapter or two. After those, there will start to be more drama in the story. Thanks again!_

* * *

The rest of September and October passed by quickly. After training ended on Saturday's, he would Floo to Hogwarts. He and Hermione would grab some dinner, usually in her room, but occasionally they would eat in the Great Hall. When they did, they would be surrounded by students who would bombard him with questions. Most of them were about their adventures in Hogwarts or his Quidditch career. He was thankful that there were hardly any questions about the war. It was still hard to talk about.

They would then spend the rest of the weekend in Hermione's room, where he would help her grade quizzes and tests or they would just talk. He had never before realized how easy it was to talk to Hermione. Their conversations flowed easily and they never ran out of things to talk about, such as work, Quidditch, her parents, and their friends. And Harry always made sure that he had spare clothes there, to avoid more awkward encounters with McGonagall.

Sometimes Hermione would have to supervise a detention when he was there, so he would spend that time down by the Greenhouses with Neville, who had been the Herbology professor since the war. Professor Sprout had immediately retired, claiming that she wanted to spend her remaining years relaxing by the sea, growing all sorts of magical plants. If Neville was busy, Harry would visit Hagrid, who always tried to feed him rock cakes.

Sunday evenings always came too soon for Harry. The longer he and Hermione were together, the harder it got to leave her. Since they both had to be up early on Monday's he would leave so they could each get a good night's sleep. But not before a long snogging session in her office or an empty classroom, one of Harry's favorite parts of the weekend.

The news that he and Hermione were together spread rapidly through the castle, thanks to that one student who saw him in her room. But they didn't mind. They had been able to tell the Weasley's that they were together, which was a huge amount of pressure lifted off of their shoulders. Mrs. Weasley had given them one of her bone-breaking hugs and cried out of happiness. They were all happy for them, except for Ginny who seemed a little upset, but he paid it no mind. He was finally happy.

Before he knew it, it was Halloween, his least favorite time of the year. The Halloween feasts at Hogwarts had just been cruel reminders of everything he had lost on that day. This year was no different. He had gone to Hogwarts after training like always but opted to eat dinner in Hermione's room. Hermione, who knew how tough this time was for him, stayed with him. Harry was lounging on the couch, playing with the snitch that he had gotten years ago from Dumbledore. Hermione was sitting on the floor, papers strewn across the coffee table as she graded essays.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you…Do you want to watch a memory of my parents with me?" He caught the snitch again and sat up, looking down at her.

Hermione pushed her papers aside and turned slightly, looking up at him, chewing on her bottom lip. "Are you sure, Harry," she asked softly. "Those are extremely personal. I understand if you want to watch them by yourselves. I wouldn't want to intrude…"

Harry gave her a small smile and pulled her up onto the couch with him. "You're my girlfriend, Hermione. And before that, you were my best friend. There's no one I would rather share them with."

She gave him a small smile and stood up, holding out her hand to Harry. "Alright then. Let's go before it gets late" Harry took her hand and stood up. They stepped into the fireplace and Floo'd to Grimmauld Place. They walked into the study in silence. The penseive was on the desk, the box of memories next to it.

"Can you pick one," he asked softly. Hermione nodded and carefully started sorting through the vials, determined to find the perfect one. When she found it, she carefully poured it into the penseive. Harry stood there quietly, squeezing her hand. Then with a nod and a deep breath, he entered the memory, pulling her with him.

When everything came into focus, Harry looked around, seeing a room that looked vaguely familiar. Hermione squeezed his hand and they both stood still as two figures entered the room. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at his parents, taken aback at how young they were. His dad was wearing glasses, just like his, and had the same untidy hair. It was like looking in a mirror, except the eyes staring back were a dark blue. He tore his gaze from his father and looked at his mum. She had the same emerald eyes, which were lit up with laughter. He immediately recognized a few of Aunt Petunia's features in her face. He hadn't realized how similar his aunt and his mother actually looked.

A tiny sound made him look away from his parents' faces to the small child in their arms. A very small Harry was laughing, clapping his hands and cooing.

"Oh, James. He's growing up so fast…" His heart clenched as he heard his mother's voice and squeezed Hermione's hand tightly. His mum sat down on the couch. "Mummy loves you Harry," she cooed as she tickled baby Harry's tummy. "Mummy and Daddy love you so much." James chuckled and tousled baby Harry's hair.

"He's finally old enough to fly on a broom and play Quidditch!" His smile faltered slightly as Lily shot him a glare.

"No, he's not, James! He's just a baby!"

"I guess you won't like Sirius' present then, Lily." Harry turned around, immediately recognized the voice. A young, slightly less shabby Remus Lupin was holding what Harry knew to be the little training broom that Sirius got him. He smiled as he remembered the picture he had found in Sirius' room. Hermione must have remembered too, because she started giggling to herself.

Harry smiled and turned back to the baby Harry, who was reaching for the broom that was now in James' hand. "C'mon Lils! Please? Pretty please? It's his birthday!" Lily sighed and handed Harry over to James.

"Alright, but do not let him fall or break anything." James grinned and set Harry on the broom. He immediately started zooming around the room, squealing in delight. The broom didn't go more than a foot or two off the ground, but it was the perfect height for baby Harry to knock things over. Harry and the broom bumped into a table, knocking over a vase, and started flying towards the fireplace. James started to panic and chased baby Harry around the room, with Remus laughing in the background and Lily shaking her head.

The memory started to fade and soon they were back in the study. Harry looked down at Hermione. His bright green eyes were shining with tears, but a huge smile was on his face. He bent down and kissed her deeply before pulling her into a crushing hug, burying his face in her hair.

"Thanks, Mione. That was perfect."

Hermione hugged him back, smiling into his chest. They held each other silently, until Hermione pulled back, grabbing his hand. "C'mon, Harry. Let's go." They Floo'd back to Hogwarts. Harry gave Hermione another kiss.

"You're the best. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hermione blushed a little and reclaimed her spot on the floor by her papers. "You probably would have gotten strangled by the Devil's Snare in first year."

Harry let out a laugh and laid back on the couch, reaching his hand out to run his fingers through her hair. "You're probably right." They sat in silence, Hermione grading her papers and Harry replaying the memory over and over in his head until he passed out on the couch. Hermione smiled gently and waved her wand, making the couch wider. Crawling up beside him, she conjured a blanket and kissed his cheek.

"Good night, Harry."

Harry woke up first in the morning and slowly stood up, careful not to wake Hermione. She was still curled up in a ball, with her hair all over the place. He chuckled and placed a quick kiss on her cheek before jumping in the shower. After he was dressed, he scribbled a quick note, left it on the table, kissed her again, and left.

 _Hermione,_

 _I'm sorry I didn't wake you before leaving this morning, but you looked so peaceful, not to mention adorable. I promised Teddy I would visit him today. He's been begging me to take him to Diagon Alley for some ice cream and to the see the joke shop. I'll see you next Saturday._

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

Once outside of the grounds, Harry apparated, landing on the front step of Andromeda's house. He raised his hand to knock, but the door was thrown open before he could, revealing a Teddy with rainbow hair.

"Hawwy!" The boy squealed and jumped into Harry's arms. Harry chuckled and gave him a huge hug. "Are we going to get ice cream now? I want to see the joke shop. Gwandma said I could."

Harry laughed and set Teddy back down. "We can go after lunch, Teddy. Grandma won't like it if I give you ice cream before lunch again." Teddy giggled and dragged Harry into the kitchen.

Harry and Andromeda spent the whole meal catching up. He told her all about his time with Hermione, minus the snogging and the towel incident, and how excited he was for the cup to begin. In turn, she told him about her newfound relationship with Narcissa. After the war, Narcissa and Draco had left Lucius because he couldn't get over the fact that Harry had actually won. Draco had met a nice girl and was now working for Gringotts, and Narcissa finally decided to reconnect with her remaining sister.

"Hawwy, are you going to marry aunt Hermione?" Harry choked on his juice and stared at Teddy, his eyes wide.

"What?"

Teddy continued to nonchalantly eat his sandwich and shrugged. "My friend Tommy's brother is at Hogwarts. He says that you kissed Hermione. You only kiss people you are going to marry."

Harry stared at Teddy, floundering for words, his face slowly turning red. Andromeda stifled a laugh. "Sorry, Harry." Teddy finished sandwich and looked up at Harry, waiting for an answer.

"Um, I don't know, Teddy."

Deeming it an acceptable answer, Teddy shrugged and climbed off the seat, running to get his shoes. "Is it time for ice cream now? C'mon, Hawwy!"

A few hours later, an exhausted Harry and an energetic Teddy returned. As soon as they walked inside, Harry collapsed on the couch as Teddy excitedly told Andromeda about the joke shop.

"It was awesome! George gave me candy that turned me into a bird! And then Ron gave me one that made me vomit until I ate the other half! He said I could use it to get out of tests at school!"

Andromeda just raised an eyebrow. "But you won't use it to get out of tests, right Teddy?"

The young boy nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'll use it to get out of boring adult parties." He scrunched his nose, turning his hair green, and ran out of the room laughing.

Harry burst into laughter. "I have no idea how you do this all day every day, 'Dromeda. I am exhausted after only a couple hours." Andromeda chuckled.

"You forget that I raised Nymphadora. I never got a chance to rest with her either. I wouldn't change it for the world though." She cleared her throat and wiped away a tear. "I never thanked you, Harry, for letting me have Teddy and raise him. It meant the world to me."

Harry smiled and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. "Don't thank me, Andromeda. It was the right thing to do. I was only seventeen, not ready to be a father, and you have provided him a much better home than I ever could. I love Teddy as if he were my own son, but he needed _you_ , and you needed him." He let go of her hand and stood up. "My offer from back then still stands, 'Dromeda. You and Teddy are more than welcome to move into Grimmauld Place with me. Or maybe to my parents' place in Godric's Hollow, once I finish fixing that up. I would love to have you both live with me. We are family after all."

Andromeda smiled and stood up as well, pulling Harry into a hug. "And as I said at the time, I will consider it. Maybe when I'm older and can't keep up with him as much." She laughed and kissed Harry's cheek. "Thanks for taking Teddy today. He always loves it when you come over. After you leave, he usually morphs into a mini you. Same messy hair and green eyes."

She smiled fondly before pushing him out the door. "Now go home and rest. You have practice tomorrow and you look absolutely knackered." Harry laughed and kissed her cheek before leaving, promising to write to her and Teddy as much as possible.


	14. Chapter 14

_I want to thank all of you again for reading this! And yay, my story got over 100 follows! Thank you all so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

November quickly turned into December, and the weather got colder. Harry was counting down the days until the Hogwarts term was over and Hermione had a few weeks off. Thankfully, Oliver had decided to give the team two weeks off as well, just until after New Years. Harry had spent the last few days cleaning up Grimmauld Place, trying to turn it into a welcoming home for Christmas.

Hermione had written him at the beginning of December, asking if she and her parents could spend Christmas with them. She wanted to introduce him to them again, this time as her boyfriend. The thought made him tremble a little bit. He had met them a few times over the past few years, and they were genuinely nice people. Mrs. Granger was just like Hermione. They had a similar intelligence, and they carried themselves the same way. Mr. Granger was a tall man who wore glasses. He always had a somewhat stern look on his face, but he had quite a sense of humor, but he knew this time would be different. This time he was dating their daughter.

He glanced down at his watching, panicking at the time it displayed. They would be here in an hour, and he wasn't anywhere near ready. Knowing Hermione, they would actually be here early, and Andromeda and Teddy would be here shortly after. He had managed to convince her to stay with him for a few weeks for the holidays. He turned and hurried into the kitchen.

"Kreacher?"

Kreacher appeared behind him with a pop. He still wore the fake Horcrux around his neck. Ever since the battle, Kreacher had been happier and kinder to people. He even stopped calling Hermione a mudblood. "Yes, Master Harry?"

"Can you please get two guest bedrooms prepared for our guests tonight?" He paused for a second. He figured the Grangers wouldn't appreciate their daughter staying in his room the whole time. "Better make that three, please." Kreacher nodded and disappeared with another pop.

Harry grabbed his wand off of the counter and flicked it. A rag started to dust the table, but eventually flopped over, laying still. Harry sighed and picked it up to dust manually. He had never quite gotten the hold on household charms, mainly because they just didn't interest him. He hurried around the kitchen, living room, and dining room, dusting every surface as fast as he could. With only a few minutes to spare, he hurried down to the basement where had stored boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations that he had gotten over the years. He levitated them all up to the living room, knowing Hermione would want to decorate as soon as possible, like she does every year. He had just set them on the floor when the doorbell rang.

He quickly poked his head in the bathroom to check out his reflection, to make sure he looked presentable. Satisfied, he opened the door, breaking into a grin when he saw his girlfriend. He moved to kiss her but opted for a hug and a kiss on the cheek since her parents were there. He ushered them inside and shut the door behind them to keep out the cold. He took their coats and hung them in the closet.

"Harry, you remember my parents, Jean and Henry." Harry nodded and shook each of their hands.

"It's so great to have you all here for the holidays. Would you like me to show you your rooms so that you can settle in before dinner?"

"That'd be great, Harry," Jean replied.

Harry took out his wand and levitated their luggage up the stairs for them. "I hope you don't mind," he said. "There are a lot of stairs in this place. It can get pretty tiring to carry luggage all the way up there."

Jean and Henry shook their heads. "Its fine, Harry," Henry said. "We are quite used to magic now that Hermione can use it out of school. It did take some getting used to at first thought."

Harry chuckled and led them up the stairs. "I know what you mean. The first time I saw magic performed was when Hagrid gave my cousin Dudley a tail."

"Why on earth would he do that," Jean asked, scandalized.

Harry laughed. "I should explain. See, Hagrid was extremely loyal to Dumbledore, and my uncle had made the unwise decision to call Dumbledore a 'crackpot old fool'. Hagrid didn't like that, so he tried to turn my cousin into a pig. Hagrid said that since Dudley was mostly already a pig, and that all the spell had to do was give him a tail."

Henry chuckled, surprising them all. Seeing them all glancing at him, he stopped. "What? It's funny."

Having reached the third floor, Harry pointed to the two rooms on the left. "One of those is for you guys, Mr. Granger. The other one is for Hermione." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione look crestfallen. He pulled her close and whispered. "You can still sneak into my room at night if you like." He snickered as Hermione's face flushed. "My godson Teddy and his grandmother Andromeda will be over soon. They will stay across the hall from you guys."

He placed one last kiss on Hermione's cheek and walked back downstairs, leaving them to settle in and freshen up. He went to the kitchen and started some water for some tea. Hermione walked in right as the water finished. He smiled as he felt her wrap her arms around him. "Perfect timing as always, luv."

Hermione grinned and moved in front of him, an eyebrow raised. "I do believe you owe me a kiss, Mr. Potter. We've been here twenty minutes and I haven't yet gotten one."

Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, staring into her beautiful brown eyes. "I wasn't sure if your parents would appreciate me snogging you in front of them. But seeing as it's just us two…" he trailed off and tilted her chin up, catching her lips with is.

Hermione sighed happily and wrapped her arms around his neck. She parted her lips, wanting to deepen the kiss, but Harry pulled away, a crooked smile on his face. "We'll continue that later, I promise." Hermione crossed her arms and pouted, making Harry chuckle. "C'mon, luv. I have all of the decorations waiting for you."

Hermione immediately perked up and ran into the living room. Harry shortly followed after her, carrying a tray with the teapot and some teacups. He set it on the coffee table and turned to help Hermione. She had already unpacked half of the boxes and was separating the decorations according to what room she wanted to put them in. Harry sat on the floor next to her and started unpacking the rest while she sorted.

They worked in silence, and by the time Henry and Jean joined them, they had everything unpacked. Harry grabbed the empty boxes and went to take them back down to the basement. When he returned, Andromeda and Teddy had arrived. Andromeda was deep in conversation with Henry and Jean, and Teddy was helping Hermione hang up some wreaths and mistletoe. Harry leaned against the doorway, his heart full of love as he watched his family. He stayed there for a minute before re-entering the room.

"Hawwy!" Teddy ran over and hugged his leg, making his hair and eyes match Harry's. Harry chuckled and picked him up. He gave Andromeda a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Teddy, I think there's something missing here. What do you think we need?"

Teddy looked around the room carefully, trying to figure it out. When he did, he grinned. "A tree!"

Harry chuckled and set Teddy back down. "How about you and I go pick one out?" He stood and looked over at Henry. "Would you like to join us? Perhaps we could make a guy's trip." He saw Hermione smile at the idea of him and Henry getting along.

"Sure, Harry. Let me grab my coat."

Teddy ran after Henry. "I need my coat too! Look what I can do with my hair!" He scrunched up his nose and turned his hair light brown like Henry's. "We match!" The women laughed, and Hermione walked over to Harry, giving him a soft kiss.

"Don't take too long. It's almost dinner time."

Harry smiled and kissed her back. "Don't worry, luv. Kreacher can keep the food warm if we run late. But it shouldn't take us too long." He smiled and followed after Teddy and Henry. Grabbing his coat he picked up Teddy and turned to Henry.

"How do you feel about apparration?"

Henry paused. "Er…apparration?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it's how some wizards get around. It's a lot faster than a car ride. Although it does have a nasty side-effect of nausea, but it only lasts for a few minutes."

Henry thought about it for a second and shrugged. "Alright."

Harry grinned, grabbed onto Henry's arm, and turned on the spot. A few seconds later, they arrived on the outskirts of a Christmas tree farm. Harry glanced over at Henry, who looked a little green.

"Er, Henry? Are you alright?"

The tall man nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Just give me a minute."

Harry chuckled and set Teddy down, who immediately started running around, searching for the perfect tree. Harry and Henry set out after him, walking at a more leisurely pace.

"So, Harry. Hermione tells me you play Quidditch? Er, could you explain it to me? Hermione tried but, well, we all know she is terrible with sports."

Harry laughed and nodded. "Well, each team has seven players. Three of those players are called Chasers. Their job is to get the Quaffle, the main ball, through one of the three hoops at the opposite end of the pitch for ten points. The Keeper tries to protect the hoops, obviously. Now two of the players are called Beaters. Their job is to protect their teammates from Bludgers. Bludgers are nasty. They are pretty heavy and fly around the pitch, trying to knock players off their brooms. Beaters carry bats to use to hit them. The last player is called the Seeker, that's me. I have to catch the Golden Snitch before the other Seeker does. The snitch is tiny, really fast, and damn near impossible to see. Whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins their team 150 points, and the game is over."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the snitch Dumbledore gave him. He had gotten into a habit of carrying it. He handed it over to Henry. "This is the snitch. During the game, it will release its wings and fly around."

Henry took it carefully and started inspecting it. "Huh. I think I get it. Does your team always win if you catch the snitch?"

Harry smirked, remembering the quidditch world cup from his fourth year. "Not always. Remember back when the Weasley's took Hermione to that one game? The world cup? Well, Ireland was more than one hundred and fifty points ahead of Bulgaria, so when Krum, Bulgaria's seeker, caught the snitch, Ireland still won. It's pretty rare though."

Henry handed back the snitch. "And your team is in that tournament this year, right?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. It starts in February, but we've been training since September when we found out. It makes it harder to find time to spend with Hermione, but we've been making it work. I don't have training on Sunday's so we usually spend the day together then."

He frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Once the tournament actually starts, I have no idea when I'll have free time. I'll be all over the place."

They returned to walking in silence, trying to keep up with Teddy as he inspected each tree before turning it down until Henry cleared his throat.

"I promised Jean I would give you the staple father-boyfriend talk, even though we both know that it's a little unnecessary."

Harry's eyes widened and he gulped. "Okay…"

Henry looked at him sternly. "Hermione is my little girl, and she always will be. I saw the way you two look at each other, and I'm warning you now. I don't care if you did defeat the darkest wizard in the history of Britain. If you hurt my little girl, I will make him seem like a little kitten. Are we clear?"

Harry nodded quickly, his eyes still wide. "Yes, sir. Absolutely. Never hurt Hermione. Ever."

Henry laughed and clapped Harry on the back. "You can call me Henry, Harry."

"Hawwy! I found it! I found our tree!" Teddy came running back and grabbed Harry's hand. C'mon, Hawwy! Let's go buy it!"

Teddy dragged them to a tree that was a little off to the side. It was way too tall to fit into Grimmauld Place, but Harry could always shrink it a bit. It was a beautiful dark green color and was perfectly symmetrical on every side. Harry smiled down at Teddy.

"It's perfect, buddy." Teddy grinned up at him.

Harry paid the owner of the farm and, when no one was looking, took out his wand and fell the tree. Casting a Feather-light charm on it, he picked it up and they apparated back to the house. Teddy excitedly showed everyone the tree and begged to decorate it before dinner, but Andromeda told him that he would need to eat first so he would have the strength to decorate. Teddy groaned and stomped into the dining room, flopping down on a chair. Henry, Jean, and Andromeda followed after him, leaving Harry and Hermione alone in the living room.

He smiled at her and walked over to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers glide across the smooth skin of her cheek. She blushed and looked down shyly, smiling to herself. He tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. He placed a soft kiss on her lips, wanting more but knowing that that would have to wait. He gave her another kiss and then kissed her nose, making her giggle.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are? How beautiful _you_ are?"

Hermione smiled shyly and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Harry." Harry smiled and gave her hand a squeeze, following her into the dining room.

* * *

The rest of the week was filled with joy and laughter. The six of them spent their days decorating and chatting. Hermione and Jean even spent a full day baking all sorts of Christmas treats, most of which mysteriously disappeared within a few hours. Harry and Teddy both vehemently denied eating them, but when it came time for dinner, they both suspiciously claimed that they were too full from lunch to eat.

Before Harry knew it, he was being woken up by an overexcited Teddy jumping up and down on him. "Hawwy, wake up! It's Christmas! Present time! Everyone else is waiting for you, sleepy head." Harry groaned and reached for his glasses, shoving them on his face. The blue blur that was Teddy's hair came into focus. The small boy was grinning down at him.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming, Teddy."

"Yay!" Teddy jumped off the bed and hurried down the stairs. Harry threw on a shirt and followed after him, trying to stifle a yawn. He walked into the living room to see Hermione on the floor, already sorting all of the presents. She looked up as he entered and giggled. All of his hair on the right side of his head was sticking straight up.

Harry grumbled and quickly tried to smooth it, but was only partly successful. He scratched the back of his head and bent down to give Hermione a quick kiss. "Happy Christmas, Mione." He nodded to everyone else in the room. "Happy Christmas." He laid down on the floor next to Hermione, letting loose another yawn. "Why are we up so early," he groaned.

Andromeda laughed as she helped Hermione hand everyone their stack of presents. "Harry, it's nearly one in the afternoon." His eyes widened and he sat up slightly.

"Really? Merlin…"

Teddy started tearing into his presents as soon as he got them. He received a small box of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes products from Andromeda, who warned him not to pull any pranks on her if he wanted to keep them. From Hermione and her parents, he got the wizarding equivalent of a gift card to his favorite ice cream place in Diagon Alley. His eyes widened and he turned to Andromeda, begging to go get ice cream now, and pouting when she said no. But his sorrow was short lived as he tore open the present from Harry. He emitted a loud squeal and ran at Harry, throwing his arms around him.

In his hand was a little training broom, similar to the one that Sirius had given Harry. It went a little higher than two feet off the ground and had charms placed on it to keep Teddy from bumping into things or falling off. It was also charmed to stay at a slower speed, so Teddy could learn to fly. He had made sure it was alright with Andromeda before he had bought it, and she said she had no problem with it, as long as Harry was there to help Teddy learn, as she had never been too fond of flying.

"Come teach me, Hawwy! I want to be a Quidditch player like you!"

Harry chuckled and hugged Teddy back. "I'll take you outside after everyone opens their presents, alright?"

Harry sat up and reached behind the tree to grab the remaining presents, and started handing them out. "Here you go. Happy Christmas!"

Andromeda opened hers to find a clock similar to the one the Weasley's had, but it only had three hands, one for her, one for Teddy, and one for Harry. A small smile formed on her lips and she sniffed, wiping away a small tear. "Thank you, Harry. I love it" She leaned over and gave him a hug, kissing the top of his head.

Harry next handed an envelope to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Inside were a couple of tickets to the World Cup Championship. "I know that my team might not be in that game, but you guys seemed so interested in Quidditch. I figured what better way to introduce you then to take you to see the two best teams in the world?"

Henry thanked and turned to face Hermione. "I like him." Hermione grinned and Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, grinning to himself. He leaned over and kissed Hermione's cheek gently, setting a present in her lap. "Happy Christmas, luv."

She carefully pulled away the paper. She dropped the present on her lap and covered her mouth, gasping. "Harry," she whispered. Everyone leaned over to get a better look. Inside the small rectangular box was a beautiful necklace. It was a simple golden chain, with a small diamond otter charm. Jean gasped when she saw it as well.

"Wow. It's beautiful, but, why an otter?"

Harry chuckled and reached over, grabbing the necklace and gently putting it on Hermione. "It's her Patronus." Seeing Jean and Henry's confused looks, he further explained. "A Patronus is a sort of magical guardian. It protects the caster from Dementors, cloaked creatures who feed on happiness. They basically drain people of their happiness. A Patronus can only be cast when someone is thinking of a very powerful, happy memory. And each person's Patronus takes a different form. Mine, for example, is a stag, like my father's."

Hermione wiped away some tears and grabbed Harry's face, kissing him. "I love it, Harry. It's perfect."

Harry grinned and kissed her back. "I'm glad you do. I did have a few extra charms placed on this one. It will heat up whenever someone you care about is hurt and turns into a portkey to their location. So far, it has me, your parents, Teddy, 'Dromeda, and the Weasley's. I can always add more people if you want."

Hermione stared at him, her eyes wide. She opened and closed her mouth, speechless, making Henry chuckled.

"Someone finally rendered her speechless? I really like Harry." Hermione swatted at her father and turned back to Harry.

"Harry, how were you able to do that? How does the necklace know where the person is? And how does it turn into a Portkey?"

Harry shrugged. "It was fairly simple, actually. It is sort of similar to the Trace on underage witches and wizards. Then I did some research on portkeys during the times you chaperoned detention and Neville and Hagrid were busy."

"You did research?" Hermione squealed and threw herself out him, squeezing him. "You're amazing." Harry returned the hug, his face beet red.

Hermione returned to admiring the necklace, so Harry started opening his own presents. Hermione and her parents and pooled their money together and gotten him a new broom-servicing kit, since his current one was getting old. He grinned at the thought of finally being able to give his Firebolt a decent clean. Andromeda had gotten him some Defense against the Dark Arts books. While he decided to play Quidditch after school, he was still really intrigued by the subject.

But the best gift Harry received was from Teddy. It came in an envelope and was just a single piece of paper. Harry unfolded it and a lump immediately formed in his throat. It was a hand-drawn picture entitled 'My Family'. There were three little stick figures drawn next to each other. The first one was Andromeda, with the bright blue eyes, and it was labeled 'Grandma'. The second was Teddy, Harry figured. It was shorter than the other two and had bright green hair, and his name was written underneath. The third one was Harry, complete with crazy black hair, glasses, and the lightning scar. And underneath it, was a single word. 'Dad.'

Harry felt some tears fall down his face. Teddy knew that he wasn't his real father and that his parents had both died in the war. Harry and Andromeda had wanted Teddy to know all about his real parents, and they both constantly told him stories about them. Yet, despite all that, Teddy still called him 'Dad', as if he looked up to Harry as a father figure, and it filled his heart with love. He reached up and pulled Teddy out of Andromeda's lap, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Teddy. I love it." Teddy grinned and hugged him back.

After dinner, Harry took Teddy out to learn to ride a broom as promised. They stayed out all afternoon, only coming back in to eat. Once dinner was over, an exhausted Teddy went straight to bed, followed soon after by Andromeda, Henry, and Jean, leaving Harry and Hermione snuggled on the couch by the fireplace. Hermione was resting her head on Harry's shoulder, eyes closed, while he had an arm wrapped around her waist.

Harry looked down at her and smiled softly. It was hard to believe that his best friend of eleven years was now his girlfriend. He had always admired her. Her intelligence, her bravery, her heart, and her loyalty. But he had never truly understood just how amazing she really was until recently. He counted himself lucky that she was giving him a chance to prove he was worthy of her. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and felt his heart swell.

"Hermione," he said softly.

"Yes, Harry?"

"I love you…"


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you all so much! It's so hard to believe that in just over a week my story has gotten over 100 followers and over 13,000 views! It means so much to me that you all enjoy it. I will continue to do my best to provide you guys with decent chapters and quick updates! Unfortunately, the next few updates will be a little late. I'm going on vacation this weekend to celebrate my birthday and won't have much time to write. But don't worry! It's just for a few days!_

 _Now, I want to explain how the Quidditch World Cup works, in this story at least. I kind of set it up similar to the college basketball March Madness championship here in America. The first round has 64 teams, second round has 32, then 16, then 8, then 4, then the championship. The winning team of each game goes to the next round._

 _Each round is in a different month. The first round is in February, and the Championship game is at the beginning of July. Now you might be wondering why Harry can't go home more often if he only has one game each month. The teams usually watch all of the games, to get insight on their opponents and their strengths and weaknesses. And with Oliver being the team captain, he is a stickler for things like that. There are 64 teams, which means 32 games in February, which means one game a day, sometimes two. So while Harry only plays in one of the games, he has to stay to watch the other games._

 _Also, as a little refresher, here are the members of Harry's team. Oliver Wood is the keeper, with Katie Bell, Lizzie Robbins, and James Wilson as the chasers. Lucas Davies and Derek Taylor are the beaters. Hope that clears up any confusion._

 _I hope I explained that somewhat decently, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask them!_

 _And sorry that the actual game scene is very short. Quidditch is pretty hard to write, especially when you try to make each game different._

* * *

Hermione was the first one up in the morning. Stretching her arms, she rolled onto her side and smiled at a sleeping Harry. His lips were parted slightly as his chest slowly and steadily rose up and down. She reached over and brushed some hair out of his face, stifling a giggle as his lips turned up at the corners into a smile. She snuggled up against him, closing her eyes as she remembered the events of the previous night.

" _I love you…"_

 _Hermione sat up, all traces of sleepiness suddenly gone. She looked at Harry, her mouth slightly open as her mind raced to comprehend what he had said._

" _What?"_

" _I love you, Hermione." He reached over and grabbed both of her hands in his, looking into her eyes. "You're amazing. You're intelligent, caring, loving. I thank my lucky stars every day that I'm the one you want to be with." He reached up and cupped her face gently, flashing that crooked smile that made her knees weak. She blushed, smiling softly, and felt a stray tear escape her eye._

" _I love you too, Harry."_

 _She watched as his emerald eyes lit up with pure joy, a breathtaking grin on his face. Before she knew it, she was in his arms as he kissed her softly and sweetly, over and over. He pulled away after only a moment, and the look in his eyes made Hermione's heart flutter. Love, happiness, passion. She had never seen that look in his eyes in all of the eleven years she had known him. It lit a flame deep inside, and not wanting the moment to end, her hands moved to his head, her fingers running through his hair as she pulled him back towards her. A small chuckled escaped his mouth before he granted her wish and kissed her again. Soft and sweet turned firm and frenzied. His hands moved down to her hips, his fingers barely touching the skin underneath her shirt._

 _His lips broke away from hers, but before she could protest, they were leaving trails of kisses and nips across her jawline and down her neck. Her heart raced and a small sigh escaped from her lips as he found the sweet spot on her neck. His lips then retraced their path back to her mouth, giving her a gently kiss. She opened her eyes and stared into his. They were slightly darkened with lust._

" _Come to bed with me?" Her eyes widened slightly at those five words. She nodded, her throat too dry to form words. He smiled softly and picked her up in his arms, carrying her up the stairs bridal style. He gently laid her down on the bed and reached for his wand, shutting the door and casting some silencing charms. Setting it back on the nightstand, he climbed in next to her, his lips immediately going to hers._

 _She reached over and pulled him on top of her. Her hands slid under his shirt as she started to pull it off. Harry sat up and helped her take it off, his face turning a beautiful shade of pink. Hermione's eyes widened. She hadn't really noticed before now just how much Quidditch training had transformed Harry's body. Long gone was the scrawny little boy she had met on the Hogwarts Express. In his place was a tall, strong, well-built man._

 _She pulled his face back down to hers, kissing him roughly. She then reached down to pull her own shirt off. But this time, Harry's lips did not go right back to hers. Instead, they started leaving another trail of kisses down her neck, this time going further south onto her chest. He reached a hand behind her and unclasped her bra, tossing it across the room. His hand slowly slid up her side, and onto her breast._

 _Hermione let out a soft moan, arching her back slightly. "Harry, I want you." Then his hand was gone. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was staring back down at her, chewing his bottom lip, obviously a little nervous._

" _Are you sure, Mione?"_

" _Yes."_

Hermione opened her eyes as she felt Harry pressing his lips to the top of her head.

"Morning, luv."

She smiled and tilted her chin up to give him a quick kiss. "Morning, Harry."

He smiled back down at her and pulled her tighter against his chest, closing his eyes. "Mm. I could get used to this."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his bare chest. "Me too."

Hermione, her parents, Andromeda, and Teddy stayed through New Year's until they all had to go their separate ways. Her parents had to get back to their practice and Hermione had to go back to Hogwarts to prep for the second term of the year, especially with the older students getting ready for O. and N.E. . Harry returned to his daily routine of going to the stadium each day for training. The first week back was awful. His body and enjoyed the break, but it had gotten used to relaxing all day, so a full day of training made it ache just like the first day back in September.

Harry was very proud of how well the team had improved over the past few months. The chasers had come up with dozens of new plays, and Oliver improved daily. The beaters had gotten much stronger and even more accurate with their swings. Harry himself had improved on his endurance, so now he could play for hours on end before his started getting tired and sore. He actually started believing that they had a great chance of winning the cup.

Harry still made his weekly visits to Hogwarts on the weekend to see Hermione. Now that he realized that he was in love with her, it made leaving her on Sundays that much harder. But he pushed through it, knowing that it would only get harder, so he wanted to enjoy his time with her as much as he could.

By the end of January, they had received the schedule for their first round of the tournament. They were playing against France in the first round. Fortunately, the cup was also being hosted by France, which meant that throughout the tournament he would be a little closer to Hermione. All he could do was thank Merlin that he didn't have to spend the next five months in America, where he would never be able to Floo to Hogwarts.

On his last weekend with Hermione before he left for France, he was laying in her bed at Hogwarts, staring up at the ceiling. He was starting to get really nervous for the following week. All of the teams in the cup were considered the best of the best, and while he was confident in the skills of his own team, he knew that each team out there was just as talented as they were.

"Harry? Do you want to come to dinner with me?" Hermione had poked her head in the door, smiling at him.

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

A frown formed on her face and she stepped into the room, walking towards him. "Harry, we talked about this. I know you're nervous about the cup starting but you have to eat something. You've barely eaten this whole weekend. That's not healthy."

"I said I'm not hungry, Hermione! Merlin…I'm fine," he said, his voice rising.

"Fine." He felt Hermione stand up and walk out of the room, slamming the door behind her. He immediately felt guilty and wanted to get up to go after her, but he didn't. He stayed where he was until he eventually fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, Hermione was gone, her spot in bed already cold. Harry got up and went to go search for her. She was sitting in her usual spot on the floor by the coffee table, grading papers. He noticed her quill pause as she heard him open the door, but she went right back to grading, ignoring his presence.

He walked over and sat on the ground next to her, pulling her onto his lap. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and held her tightly. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I was a right git last night. I shouldn't have raised my voice like that." He felt her slowly start to relax. "I'm sorry, Hermione. Forgive me?"

He looked up at her, green eyes meeting brown. She stared at him in silence for a few moments before sighing and hugging him back. "I can't stay mad at you." She gave him a kiss and climbed off of his lap. She walked into the kitchen and returned with a mug of coffee and a plate of breakfast, handing them to Harry. "Now eat. You have your first game this week."

"You're too good to me, luv. You deserve so much better than an angry, brooding prat like me." He grinned as he saw her crack a smile and dug into his breakfast. They sat together silently, him eating and her grading papers. Neither one wanted to mention the fact that this was probably the last time they would see each other until March at the earliest. Instead, they just enjoyed their time together.

When it came time for Harry to leave, he pulled Hermione into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you, Hermione." He bent his head down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss, barely brushing her lips with his. "I'll write you as often as I can. I promise."

She gave him a watery smile, wiping a tear from her eye. "I love you, too. Be careful, Harry. God forbid you lose all the bones in your arm again." She gave a small laugh as Harry snorted.

"Don't worry, luv. As long as Lockhart is still in St. Mungos, I doubt anyone could accidentally make all my bones disappear." He gave her one last kiss before stepping away, smiling her favorite crooked smile. "I love you."

When he stepped out of the fireplace at Grimmauld Place, he stayed where he was, looking around, his mind and heart still with Hermione. He sighed and trudged up the stairs to start packing his things. He had to meet the team at the portkey location early in the morning and wanted to get to bed soon, since he knew he would have trouble falling asleep.

He had been right. When he woke up the next morning, he was still exhausted. He was barely able to make it to the portkey in time for it to take them to France. Luckily their game wasn't until later in the week, so he had time to recuperate from his sleepless night.

The team immediately went to their hotel, where they had a whole suite to themselves. Each player got their own room and bathroom, and they shared a kitchen and living room. It vaguely reminded Harry of the magical tents that they had stayed in at the Quidditch world cup back in his fourth year and he smiled at the memory of his awe. After everyone had unpacked and settled in, Oliver called for a team meeting. They gathered in the living room. Harry, Katie, and Lizzie claimed the couch, while James, Lucas, and Derek took the floor, with Oliver pacing back and forth in front of them. Harry and Katie exchanged smirks upon Oliver resuming his old habits from back at Hogwarts.

"Alright, men."

"And women," Katie interjected.

"And women," Oliver nodded. "Now, we have done some great work over the past few months, but now we need to work even harder. That means everyone taking notes about everything during every single game. Everyone." He gave Harry a pointed look, causing Harry to grin sheepishly. "We all need to be especially focused on the other teams' chasers. Katie, Lizzie, James, I want you guys to also focus on the keepers, looking for any weakness in case we play those teams in future rounds. Lucas and Davies, I want you to really focus on the beaters as well. Really learn which ones are more distracted by a bludger to the face. And Harry, you keep an eye on the other seeker, see how fast they are, if they are quick to spot the snitch, stuff like that. After every game, we will compare and compile are notes. Then we can reference them in the future if we need to."

He paused for a second before continuing. "Our first game is against France, and it is on Friday. So we will do a short training session each morning and then we will watch the games in the afternoon. If there are two games going on at a time, we will split into two groups to study the teams. That means focusing on everything." He glanced down at his watch and nodded to himself. "Alright. We have five hours for training. Then we will watch the Brazil/Japan game. Everyone, go get changed."

After training, the team had about an hour until the Brazil/Japan game, so after his shower, Harry decided to write Hermione a letter to let her know he survived the first day in France.

 _Hermione,_

 _Well, we made it to France. Of course, as soon as we got to the hotel Oliver called a team meeting and then made us go to the gym and work out. We have about an hour until the first game of the cup. Brazil versus Japan. I'm pretty excited about it, even though Oliver is making us all take notes throughout the entire game. Kind of takes the fun out of it, but it's still exciting!_

 _I miss you so much, Hermione. I wish I could be with you at Hogwarts right now. Leaving you last night was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. Harder than defeating Voldemort._

 _I wish you could come up for our game on Friday. I want to hold you in my arms again. I hope you have a great week this week. Tell Minerva and Hagrid I say hi._

 _I love you so much._

 _Harry_

He folded the letter and gave it to Archimedes, who he had thankfully remembered to bring with him. The owl gave him a gentle nip on the finger and flew out of the window.

"Harry! C'mon! The game starts soon!" Harry grinned and hurried out of his room.

"Did you see the way their chaser scored that last goal? From so far away? How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but did you see how great their keeper was? He only let in four goals!"

Lizze and Katie were chatting loudly about the game they had just witnessed. Brazil had completely dominated Japan. As Oliver had requested, they had all taken very detailed notes, but it had been extremely hard to tear their eyes away from the game. Upon realizing that Brazil was destroying Japan, they started getting slightly nervous. If they beat France on Friday and moved on, what if they had to play against Brazil?

They were all sitting in the living room, going over their notes, Oliver tapping their pages with his wand to consolidate them all into one batch. Harry handed over his notes and leaned forward to look at Katie. "I did notice that the keeper seemed to have trouble blocking the left hoop. It seemed as if the chasers were trying to keep the other team away from that hoop whenever they were down on that end of the field."

"Good eye, Harry," Oliver said. If we end up having to play against them, then we will have to spend that time before the game practicing moves that focus on their left hoop. The right one, to us."

"Their beaters seemed to do the same thing," Derek piped up. "I wonder why. Maybe the keeper just has slower reflexes in his left arm."

They continued discussing the skill of Brazil's team until it was well past midnight. As they all went to their separate rooms, they heard Oliver yell after them. "Don't forget that we have training at six!" Harry glanced at his watch and grumbled. Three hours. Great.

The rest of the week passed by quickly. Harry and the team spent the mornings and afternoons in the gym and spent their evenings watching the games and comparing notes. For Harry, it was heaven. He was finally living out his dream of playing quidditch with some of the best players in the world. The only thing missing was having Hermione in his arms at night.

And then it was the Friday, the day of their big game. When Harry woke up, his stomach was a ball of nerve. It was all he could do to keep his breakfast down. Glancing around at his teammates, he could tell that he wasn't the only one. None of them had ever played in the world cup before, so no one knew exactly what to expect.

They spent the morning sitting around their living room instead of in the gym so they wouldn't wear themselves out. Oliver, Katie, James, and Lizzie were going over maneuvers to use during the game, will Lucas and Derek were playing a game of Exploding Snaps. Harry was lounging on couch, pouring over a letter that he had received that morning from Hermione, smiling to himself.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I miss you so much it's crazy. I'm so glad that you are having a great time living out your dream. You deserve it more than anyone. This week has been crazy with the students. They have all been asking about your time over in France and what it's like being in the world cup. We are actually having a little party to listen to the game over the wizard radio. Everyone will be in the Great Hall eating and listening. It was Minerva's idea, actually. I had forgotten how much she loves quidditch._

 _Oh, I have some great news! Neville proposed to Hannah! I nearly cried when I found out! Now we have two weddings to attend in the near future! I'm so happy for them. They are so great together._

 _I want to wish you luck in your game tomorrow. I know you will do great!_

 _I love you._

 _Hermione_

He smiled and folded the letter back up before stuffing it into the inside pocket of his robes. Oliver stood up and stretched. "Alright team, let's go!" Harry's stomach nearly turned inside out as he stood up and followed his team to the stadium. They were silent in the locker room, everyone slightly green. As they stood in the tunnel, waiting to be announced, Harry got a sudden flashback to his first ever quidditch game. He suddenly felt like that little eleven-year-old boy again. His palms got sweaty and he readjusted his grip on his broom.

"Remember what we talked about, Harry," Oliver said. Harry nodded and took a deep breath. "Catch the snitch as soon as possible if we start getting our butts kicked. Well, just as soon as possible in general. Unlike Hogwarts, the amount we win by isn't important. Just as long as we win."

Harry nodded. "Got it."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to the team from France!" Harry flinched slightly as the announcer introduced the French team, and swallowed. His head started to get a little dizzy, but he concentrated on a spot on the wall next to him, breathing slowly.

"Let's give another warm welcome to the team from Britain!"

Harry's stomach dropped to his knees as he and his teammates mounted their brooms and zoomed out of the tunnel and into the stadium. Upon seeing the huge crowd gathered, Harry about fell off of his broom. The cheers were deafening. His head and heart pounded, he glanced over at Wood who gave him a grin and a thumbs up. He smiled back and they took their positions, waiting for the whistle.

"Let the game…begin!"

The referee blew the whistle and the game began. Harry immediately started flying around the pitch, keeping his eyes peeled for the little golden snitch and drowning out the audience.

"And it's Bell with the quaffle, with a lovely pass to Robbins who throws it to Wilson and- OH it's intercepted by DuBois on the France team. DuBois speeds down the pitch. He shoots, and it's blocked by Wood, who tosses the quaffle to Robbins, who dodges Lefevre, passes it to Wilson who shoots and scores! Ten points to England!"

Harry grinned as he dodged a bludger. Spying a sparkle at the far end of the pitch, he sped off towards it. He reached out his arms as he got closer to the snitch, but as he got closer, but before he could catch it, a bludger came out of nowhere and nearly knocked him off of his broom.

"Potter was so close to catching the snitch, but forced to swerve by a bludger sent from France."

Harry groaned as he resumed his search for the snitch. Damn bludger. A glance at the scoreboard half an hour later cheered him up slightly. Ninety to fifty. They were winning but not by much, which meant that he could not let the other seeker catch the snitch first. He flew up a bit higher, hoping to get a good vantage point over the stadium.

"Score! Another goal for England, increasing their lead by ten more points!"

Harry flew down past Katie to give her a quick high five. As he passed her, he spotted the sparkle of the snitch again. He bent forward over his broom and sped towards the hoops.

"And it looks like Potter has seen the snitch! And right behind him is Moreau, hoping to get there first."

Harry glanced behind and groaned slightly as he saw how close the other seeker was. He followed the snitch up and through the goalpost and back around to the far side of the pitch. He reached forward and wrapped his fingers around the cold metal of the snitch.

"And Potter catches the snitch! England wins and advances to the next round of the cup!"

Harry grinned as he was swarmed by his team for a hug, nearly getting knocked off of his broom again. They were all trying to congratulate him, but the roar of the crowd was deafening. After congratulating each other, they returned to the locker room, cheering.

"Hey everyone," Wood yelled. "Let's go to the pub down the street! First rounds on me!"

Everyone quickly showered and got changed. As he was hanging up his robes, the letter from Hermione fell out of the pocket. He smiled as he picked it up.

"You coming, Potter?"

Harry looked up at Oliver before looking back down at the letter. He had been meaning to write back, but what harm could another night do?

"Yeah! I'll be right behind you." He shoved the letter into his back pocket and hurried after his team.


	16. Chapter 16

_Hey everyone! Just wanted to say sorry for the long time between the last chapter and this one. I had a great vacation for my birthday and have spent the last week catching up on homework and errands. Hopefully the next update won't be as far away as this one was. Thanks so much for reading and being patient! Also, I'm sorry this is rather shorter than the other ones. I wanted to give you guys something to read so you don't have to wait another week for the next update._

 _Saturday, February 9th_

 _Harry,_

 _Congratulations! I'm so proud of you! Everyone at Hogwarts is so excited for you and your team. We can't wait to for your next game! Hopefully I will be able to make it to that one. I would love to see you play._

 _I miss you so much. I wish we could see each other more often. This past week has been awful without you. I miss our Saturday night dates and our Sunday sleep-ins. I tried making it to your game last night, but I had to supervise detention. Some students thought it would be funny to have a duel in the hallways after dinner. Luckily, they were first years so neither one got too injured. It reminded me of when Malfoy challenged you to a duel in our first year._

 _I've already asked Minerva if I can go to your next game. I think I will be able to, as long as no first years have a mini duel again. Most of the older students are too busy studying for O. and N.E. to cause any trouble, but the younger ones are very…lively. At least their version of trouble isn't life threatening like yours was._

 _I can't wait to see you again. I love you._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

 _Saturday February 16_ _th_

 _Harry,_

 _I hope training is going well. Minerva gave me permission to come to your next game! So as long as there is no detention to supervise that night, I am able to come for the whole weekend! I can't wait to see you! I'm so excited! I've already planned my schedule out so that I can get all of my grading done before I even leave Hogwarts!_

 _All of my students have signed a giant good luck card for you and your team. We are all rooting for you._

 _I love you._

 _Hermione_

 _Saturday, February 23_ _rd_

 _Harry,_

 _It's been over three weeks since I've heard from you. I hope you're alright. I know you're busy with training and other quidditch related things, but I do wish you would write to me more often. I miss you like crazy._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

Hermione sighed as she watched her owl fly out of her window and over the Hogwarts grounds. She hadn't heard from Harry in over a month. While she acted like it didn't bother her, she knew she was lying to herself. It was eating her up inside that Harry hadn't written to her. She understood that he was busy, and she knew that coming into this relationship. But she was starting to feel like she was the only one putting any effort into keeping this relationship alive.

A knock on the door made her jump slightly. She hurried over and pulled it open, smiling when she saw Minerva. The older witch had a young student by her side. "Sorry to bother you, Professor Granger. I know it's getting late, but it seems that one of your students thought it was a good idea to try and sneak into your office to find the answers to the next test earlier today. He just got done with detention and I thought maybe you could try and talk to him, seeing as you're more relatable than I am." The young boy was frowning and staring at his feet, determined not to look at either of them.

"Thanks, Headmistress. I'll take care of it." She ushered the young boy into her office, where he sat down on one of the chairs, steadily ignoring her gaze. She crossed her arms and studied him. He was only a third year student, Ethan Thompson, and seemed rather small for his age. He had sandy hair and his eyes were dark. Minerva had talked to her about Ethan before. He was a very intelligent kid with a bright future, yet something seemed to be bothering him lately. There was a sadness about him that intrigued her. He kind of reminded her of a young Harry. She sat down across the desk from him and poured him a cup of tea.

"Ethan, what are you doing? Why would you try and cheat?"

The boy just shrugged and continued to ignore her gaze. She sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Ethan, what's going on? I have noticed that your grades have been slipping ever since you got back from Christmas. Is everything alright?"

Ethan's lower lip started to quiver slightly and he cleared his throat, shifting slightly in the chair. Hermione pushed the cup of tea closer to him.

"You can tell me, Ethan. I'm here to help you if you need it, whether it's private tutoring or just talking."

The young student sighed and rested his head on the desk, staring at the wall. "I overheard my foster parents talking the night before I came back here." His voice started to quiver. "They want to give me back to the orphanage. I don't think that they can handle me being a wizard."

Hermione's heart broke for the young boy in front of her. She couldn't even begin to understand what he must be going through. She reached over and held his hand gently, letting him collect himself before he continued talking. He told her all about his life as an orphan. When he was younger, he had bounced from place to place because of his accidental magic. Then when he was accepted to Hogwarts, his foster parents freaked out and gave him back. Every family that gave him up had to be obliviated. And then he got placed with his current foster parents, who had immediately accepted him as he was and even encouraged him. They had tried for years for their own children. Over Christmas break, his foster mom had found out that she was pregnant. He had overheard them talking about giving him back.

Hermione wiped away a tear that had escaped from her eye. She couldn't believe what this poor boy had been through. "I'm so sorry, Ethan. No one should ever have to grow up like that. But if they truly love you, they will keep you around and the new baby will have a fantastic older brother. And if they don't, then it's their loss. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a son." She smiled back as Ethan smiled slightly. "You're a sweet, smart boy, Ethan. You don't need to cheat to get good grades. I know you're going through a hard time right now. If you ever need to just talk or want private tutoring, my door is always open."

Ethan smiled and stood up, a small smile on his face. "Thanks, Professor. I'm sorry I tried to cheat. It won't happen again."

Hermione smiled softly as the young man walked back out of her office, her thoughts turning back to Harry. Her heart broke again as she thought of how much she missed him. She had known going into this relationship that it would be difficult since he would gone for the world cup, but that didn't stop the pain she was feeling. Every time she closed her eyes she could see his crooked smile, his emerald colored eyes, his messy hair. She loved him with all her heart, she truly did. But she had been feeling the doubts creep in a lot lately. She hadn't seen him in a long time and he never took the time to write her. If someone truly loved her back, they would make the time to write to her every now and then, wouldn't they? Even if it was just a two sentence letter.

She felt the tears threaten to fall from her eyes and quickly blinked them away, walking into her room and climbing into bed. She thought that she would finally be happy. She had a great job, great friends, and a near perfect boyfriend, or so she thought. But she wasn't happy. She was lonely. She closed her eyes as sleep slowly took over, wondering if Harry would ever write her back.

 _Saturday, March 9_ _th_

 _Harry,_

 _I really miss you. I feel so lonely. You haven't written to me in so long. I'm starting to wonder if us getting together right before you left for the world cup was a good idea. We are spending so much of the first year of our relationship apart. Maybe we should have waited until after the cup._

 _Why aren't you writing to me? It's really starting to seem like our relationship is being placed on the back burner. I'm not happy right now, Harry. It's really hurting my feelings. I feel like I'm not important enough to you for you to take five minutes out of your day to write a quick letter to me. Are you even reading the letters I'm writing you?_

 _I miss you. I hope all's well._

 _Hermione_

 _Thursday March 21st_

 _Harry,_

 _There is no detention this weekend so I am able to come watch you play on Saturday. I already have a room booked at the hotel, and I'm all packed. I will be there Saturday morning. I guess I probably won't see you until after the game. Good luck._

 _Hermione_

Hermione sat in front of the mirror in her hotel room, putting the finishing touches on her hair. Her hands were shaking a little with nerves. For the first time in her relationship with Harry, she felt nervous to see him. It was as if she was going on a first date with him all over again. She took one last glance in the mirror and was satisfied. Her hair was curled but not bushy, and she had applied a small amount of makeup, just enough to highlight her best features. She took a deep breath and stood up, walking to her luggage. She pulled on Harry's favorite pair of her jeans and a tight emerald shirt that matched his eyes. A quick glance at her watch made her realize that the game was starting in a few minutes.

She had never been a huge quidditch fan, but she found herself very excited to watch Harry play. From what he had told her during his months of training, the team had vastly improved and were one of the favorites to make it all the way. She had no doubt that his team could win the whole cup if nothing went wrong. She patted her pockets, making sure she had her wand and her ticket, and apparated to the stadium.

This stadium was just as big as the one back in their fourth year, if not bigger. Witches and wizards of all ages were being herded into the stadium like sheep. After walking up what seemed like an endless amount of stairs, Hermione finally reached her seat. She had an aisle seat, right at the middle of the pitch. She hadn't gotten a seat near the top. After the ride on the Gringotts dragon during their hunt for the horcruxes, she wasn't a fan of heights anymore.

She covered her ears as the announcer introduced the English and Brazilian teams, and grinned excitedly as she finally saw Harry. He looked great, better than when she last saw him. The smile on his face as he lived his dream was contagious. His arms were more toned, and he had a slight tan. She kept her eyes on him as he zoomed around the pitch before taking his position high above everyone else. She didn't care much about what the rest of the teams were doing. She just watched Harry.

The shrill of the whistle sounded and the game began. Her mouth fell open slightly at the speed at which the game was played. She had forgotten just how skilled the world cup quidditch players were. Within the first five minutes of the game, each team had already scored twenty points. She forced herself to pry her eyes away from Harry to the rest of the team. Oliver and Katie had both improved immensely since their school days. With their lineup, she wasn't surprised that they were chosen as the team for the world cup. They were very cohesive as a team, and one person's strengths balanced out another's weaknesses.

She followed the game as best as she could. Before she knew it, they had already been playing for an hour and they were winning, 180-100. It was still anyone's game though. She bit her lip nervously, hoping that Harry would find the snitch first.

"AND IT LOOKS LIKE POTTER HAS FINALLY SPOTTED THE SNITCH! THERE HE GOES! CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY SANTOS! THEY ARE NECK AND NECK!"

The crowd collectively held their breath, watching as the two seekers raced each other to the snitch.

"AND IT'S POTTER WITH THE SNITCH! ENGLAND WINS AND MOVES ON!"

Hermione jumped out of her seat, cheering at the top of her lungs. "Go Harry!" She watched as the team swarmed him, all cheering and wearing huge grins on their faces. She felt a smile on her own face as she hurried down the steps of the stadium, making her way towards the locker rooms. After a good fifteen minute search, she finally found them. She leaned against the wall, making herself comfortable while she waited for Harry to emerge. After a few moments, the door opened and the whole team emerged. She stood on her tiptoes to look over their heads and spotted the familiar mop of messy, black hair. She grinned as his eyes met hers, his mouth dropping open.

"Hermione?" He pushed past his teammates, running up to her with a huge grin on his face and grabbed her into his arms, crushing her against his chest. She squeezed him back, breathing him in. "I can't believe you're here! I missed you so much." He tilted her head up and pressed a rough kiss to her lips.

She sighed happily and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled his lips away and rested his forehead against hers. "I missed you too, Harry."

"What are you doing here? I thought I wasn't going to see you until Easter break."

Hermione pulled back and frowned slightly. "I wrote you weeks ago saying I was going to come to this game." She paused. "Have you read any of the letters I sent you?"

Harry stepped back, his brow furrowed a little. "What letters? I never got any letters from you."

Hermione paused, her eyes wide. "You didn't get them?"

"No…" They looked at each other in silence, both of their minds racing. Hermione immediately thought of a certain redhead who might be behind it, but she stayed silent. She didn't want to voice her concerns based on a small hunch without any evidence. She hadn't missed the looks Ginny had given her when they told the Weasley's that they were together.. If looks could kill, she knew she would be dead.

She shrugged it off, determined to not let it ruin her time with Harry. "Let's worry about that later." She pulled him into another hug and buried her face in his chest. She felt him relax a little and wrap his arms around her again. "Congratulations, by the way. You played really well."

Harry's face lit up as he smiled. "I'm still surprised you actually watched the game. Everyone knows you're not a fan of quidditch." He felt her shoulders shrug.

"I thought I could make an exception for my boyfriend."

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "C'mon. The team is going to a pub down the street to celebrate."

Hermione smiled and grabbed his hand. "Alright, but let's not stay out too late. We have a lot of…catching up to do." She smirked as his eyes widened slightly. "Now, let's go."

They stayed out at the pub for a couple hours, laughing and talking with the rest of his teammates. Everyone had multiple drinks, except Oliver, who claimed he had to stay sober so he could start working on their training schedule for their next game as soon as they got back to the hotel. Hermione, who was more than slightly tipsy, found that extremely hilarious. At one point, Hermione was certain that she had caught a glimpse of red hair, but decided that it was just the alcohol. Once it started to get late, Harry and Hermione stumbled out of the bar and Harry apparated them to his hotel. They eventually made it up to his room after accidentally getting out of the lift at the wrong floor multiple times.

Harry pulled her into his room and shut the door behind them. Hermione collapsed on the bed, giggling to herself.

"What's so funny, Mione?"

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "I find it hilarious that Ginny went through all that work to keep us apart. You know, by intercepting my letters and all that. And it was all in vain."

Harry sat down next to her, eyebrow raised. "You think Ginny intercepted the mail? I highly doubt that Hermione. She would never do that."

Hermione propped herself up on her elbows. She tilted her head slightly, her hair falling over her shoulder. "Of course she did it, Harry. Who else would mess with my mail? She's had it out for me ever since she found out we were together. If looks could kill, I'd be dead."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mione, but that's ridiculous. You're just imagining things. Besides, she's the one who cheated, ending our relationship. There's probably a very simple, practical reason for this."

Hermione frowned and sat up all the way. "Harry, why don't you believe me? I know it's her. I just do."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Hermione, you're drunk. You don't know what you're talking about. Ginny wouldn't do that. I know her."

Hermione's eyes widened, incredulous. "No, Harry. I know her. All those summers I spent rooming with her at the Burrow? She is more than capable of doing this, Harry. And she would do this. She's always wanted you, Harry. She wouldn't let anyone get in her way of what she wants. She never has."

"Hermione, I don't want to talk about this anymore. You're being ridiculous. Ginny wrote me a letter saying how happy she is for us. She's with Dean now."

Hermione scoffed, laying back down and turning away from him. "So you get letters from your ex, but you haven't gotten any from me? That's not suspicious at all?" Harry shook his head, opening his mouth to talk, but Hermione cut him off. "I can't believe that you are siding with her over me. Why won't you trust me on this?"

Harry ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head. "I just don't think she's capable of doing this."

"Yeah well, you also didn't think she was capable of cheating on you but she still did that. Multiple times."

Hermione immediately regretted what she said as Harry flinched back. She knew that that was a weak subject for him, that he was still hurting over that. She opened her mouth to apologize but it was Harry's turn to cut her off. "Harry…"

"Just stop, Hermione. Leave it alone." His voice had a slight edge to it. He stood up and stormed out of his room, leaving her alone.

Hermione winced at the sound of the door slamming shut. She got up to go after him but stopped. Harry obviously wanted some time alone. She knew that he would have stayed if he had wanted to continue talking about it, if he had wanted to hear her apology. She chewed her lip nervously and sat back on the bed.

She spent the night sitting on his bed, waiting anxiously for him to come back, but she soon fella sleep. When she woke up, he was still gone. She glanced at her watch. It was already the afternoon. She had to get back to Hogwarts soon. She poked her head out of his room and into the common area he shared with his teammates. There was no sign of him there. She frowned, wondering where he had gone off to. She wanted to go search for him, but she had to get back for dinner.

She searched his room for some parchment and scribbled him a note.

 _Harry,_

 _I'm so sorry about what I said last night. I wish I could stay and say it in person but I have to get back to Hogwarts. Please write to me when you read this so that I know you're okay. I love you so much. I'm so sorry that our first time seeing each other in months ended with a fight. I really regret all of this._

 _I love you, Harry. So much._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

She waited around for a little while longer, but when he still hadn't returned, she left for her own hotel room, gathered her stuff, and Floo'd back to her office, where she had a mountain of papers and essays to grade.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! I just wanted to apologize for not updating for the past, well, long time I guess! I have been super busy the past year. I got married and moved and am finally finish with school!

I have also had a slight problem with this story. I somehow lost all of the things I had for this story, including the outline of how I wanted it to go, as well as all of the information for the Quidditch World Cup. Since I haven't worked on this story for such a long time, I can't really remember how I wanted this to go.

Because of that, this story will probably be on hiatus until I can figure out a new timeline for this story.

Again, I am so sorry! I also wanted to thank all of you for all of the lovely reviews and all of the support you guys gave me!

P.S. I got a few reviews from people about the end Chapter 16, saying how Harry would never do that and that it is out of character for him. Since this is different than J.K. Rowling's epilogue, all of the characters will be a little different than how they were in the actual books. I'm sure this happens in most fanfictions, where every now and then a character isn't exactly like they are in the book. I'm not going to apologize for not making this Harry just like the book Harry. I am by no means a professional writer or anywhere close to that, so all I ask is that you just enjoy the story.

Once I continue, I will still be open to receiving some suggestions and maybe some nicely put complaints/criticisms. Any reviews that seem rude or are flat out mean will just be ignored.

While I'm figuring out this story, I might also be working on a new story! It will also be a Harry/Hermione story, but will probably take place during his fifth year. A quick summary is that Harry listens to Hermione about the whole Department of Mysteries fiasco being a trap and uses his mirror to contact Sirius. That will take place within the first few chapters, and the rest will be how that one change could affect the outcome of the war. Keep an eye out for it!


	18. Chapter 18

Harry had spent the remainder of the evening at the hotel bar. Not drinking. Oliver would kill him if he got drunk. No, he just sat on the barstool, slowly sipping a butterbeer, mind racing. He knew he had been a bit ridiculous when he had argued against Hermione. She had brought up some good points, and instead of listening he had shot her down, refusing to believe that Ginny, someone he had once cared for so much, was capable of doing something like that.

Deep down though, he knew she was. He had been with her for years. He knew she had a temper, and he knew she was very smart and sneaky. Growing up with the twins had made sure of that. But he had blinded himself to that side of her, the side that was rueful and deceitful. Ginny wasn't a bad person, but she knew how to get what she wanted when she wanted it.

Harry sighed and chugged the rest of his drink, glancing down at his watch. The face still had some scratches, since it had been in the Weasley family for so long. He had the money to replace it, but nothing could replace the sentimental value he placed on it. All he had ever wanted was a true family, and then the Weasley's showed up, welcoming him with open arms.

It was well past midnight. He knew that he had to go apologize to Hermione, as well as admit that she was right and that he had been a right prat about everything. He dropped some Galleons on the bar and started the walk towards his room.

His heart sank as he opened the door to his bedroom. The lights were off and there was a small flame in the fireplace. Hermione was gone. He flicked his wand, and in the sudden light, he noticed a piece of parchment on the table. He picked it up, his heart falling even more. He hung his head, his black hair falling into his eyes, as he fell onto the bed, eyes squeezed shut. Had he just ruined one of the best things to happen to him? Was this relationship over before it had ever really started? With thoughts of Hermione filling his mind, he quickly passed out, determined to make it up to her as soon as he could.

Harry woke up early the next day, right in time to catch the sunrise. The yellows and reds in the sky made a small smile cross his face. He would have loved to have shared this with Hermione, but his own stupidity had messed it up. He was determined to fix this. He had to. He jumped into the shower, hurrying through his morning routine. By the time he had pulled on some jeans and a dark green shirt, only fifteen minutes had passed. He glanced at his watch, figuring he had some time for a quick breakfast and a chat with Oliver. He hurried down to the shared common room, not at all surprised to see that Wood was already awake.

"Morning, Harry." Oliver tossed a piece of toast to Harry, who caught it and took a bite.

"Hey, Oliver. Listen, I need a favor." He paused, watching Oliver's face closely. He had to play this right, otherwise it would not work. "I really messed things up with Hermione last night. She left before I could apologize. Now, I know we have a game this weekend. But I don't think I can play my best if I have this weighing on my mind. Could I skip training today and go fix things with her?"

As soon as Harry mentioned that he wouldn't be able to focus, he saw Oliver's eyes widen. He chewed his lip worriedly, hoping Oliver would understand. Oliver stood there for a second, thinking it over.

"Alright. But you need to be back here by nine tonight, no matter what. You need to continue getting a decent amount of sleep."

Harry grinned as he refrained from leaping over the counter to hug Oliver. "Thanks, mate. I owe you one!" He devoured the last of his toast and hurried from the room, his mind already formulating a plan.

It took Harry no time at all to Floo from his room to the Leaky Cauldron. He ignored the stares of the surrounding witches and wizards and hurried through the busy streets of Diagon Alley. He paused for a second outside of the twins' joke shop. He felt his heart clench as thoughts of the twins passed through his mind. Losing Fred and been really hard on the entire Weasley family, especially George. He was glad George asked Ron to help him out. The store was busier than ever, and handling that on his own would have been impossible. He made a mental note to stop in and see how they were doing before continuing on to the Owl Post Shop.

He pushed open the door, the jingle of the bell causing the animals inside to make a ruckus. He glanced around at all of the owls as we walked to the counter. Their big round eyes followed him, making him feel uneasy.

"Hello, sir! How might I help you?" Harry turned and faced the elderly gentleman behind the counter, eliciting a gasp from the man. "Harry Potter! What can I do for you today? Whatever it is, it's on the house!"

Harry smiled politely. "That's not necessary. I did have a question that I thought you could help me with. It seems that someone has been intercepting letters of mine. My girlfriend has been writing me a lot the past few weeks, but I haven't received any of them. Is there a way to keep my mail from being intercepted? Or to find out who is behind it?"

The elderly man frowned slightly. "It's very rare that someone intercepts mail. Usually it's done by casting a charm on the owl carrying the letter. Have you guys been using the same owl each time?"

"I believe she's been using my owl Archimedes. He's an unusually smart owl, and he's very fast too."

"Well in that case, I believe that someone who has access to your owl has cast a variant of the Confundus charm on him, causing him to take letters to that someone instead of you. Now, if you were to bring your owl here, we can cast some charms on him to determine if this is happening and who is behind it."

Harry sighed in relief. "Good. Is there anything I can do to keep this from happening again?"

"Yes. When you bring your owl here, I can cast a Protego variant on him, one that's long lasting, to keep anyone from doing this again."

"Perfect." Harry took a step back from the counter. "Kreacher?"

A small house elf popped up next to Harry. "Yes, Master Harry, sir?"

Harry sighed and shook his head. "We've been over this, Kreacher. Just Harry. Anyway, can you go to Hogwarts and bring Archimedes to me?"

"Right away, master." The elf bowed and disappeared from view. He was back in a few minutes with the owl on his arm. "Here you are, Harry, sir."

Archimedes flew off of Kreacher's arm and landed on the counter in front of the elderly man. "This is a beautiful owl, Mr. Potter. These test charms will only take a few minutes." Harry nodded as the man waved his wand over the owl. A small yellow light emerged and surrounded Archimedes as the old man muttered quietly. Harry waited patiently for a few minutes, his eyes wandering around at all of the owls who were waiting to deliver letters.

"Mr. Potter, I believe we are finished here." Harry turned and faced the man again. "I have removed the charm and placed the Protego on him. He should now be able to deliver letters to you. As to who cast the charm," his voice trailed off as he looked at Harry. He fidgeted slightly. "Are you sure you would like to know who is behind this? I must remind you, this is a crime and even if you don't press charges I am obligated to let the Aurors know that this has occurred."

Harry hesitated. If Ginny was behind this, he could be sending someone who was like family to prison. But he needed to know. For his sake. For Hermione's.

"Alright."

The elderly man scanned his face for a second. "Er…it was one Miss Ginny Weasley."

Harry's felt the rage start building in his stomach, although he was not surprised. While he knew it was very likely that it was her, finding out for certain that she was messing with his life filled him with an anger he hadn't felt in years. His eyes darkened and he gripped the edge of the counter tightly. How dare she try to ruin his life again! She had already ruined it when she cheated on him, now this? He took a deep breath and released his grip on the counter. Getting angry would not help this situation. Hermione would keep a level head.

"Thanks so much, sir. I am really grateful." He held up his arm for Archimedes and dug around in his pocket with his other hand before dropping some Galleons on the table. "Thanks again."

The man waved as Harry and Archimedes walked out of the shop, Harry's mind racing. Ginny was going to be reported to the Aurors. Should he write to Arthur and Molly and let them know? Yes. They needed to hear it from him, or Ginny. Not the Aurors. He should also tell Ron as well. He sighed and stopped at a bench.

"Alright, Archie. I just need to stop in two more stores, and then I have a delivery for you, alright?" The owl hooted and flew up to rest on a street lamp. Harry ducked into two more stores, grabbing a few things.

Harry walked back to the owl, his hands full. "Alright, buddy. I need you to delivery these to Hermione, alright? I really messed up and this is the first step of my plan to apologize. Make sure she gets these, alright?" Archie hooted and held up his leg. Once he had the package, he took off.

Harry watched him fly away. By the time the owl got to Hogwarts, it would be right at lunch. Perfect. Gave him just enough time to go back into the shop and mail some letters to the Weasleys.


	19. Chapter 19

Hermione sat in her office, staring at the mountain of papers she had to grade. Normally she would have gotten them all done within a few hours, but her mind was preoccupied. She was still hurt over her argument with Harry. He had sided with Ginny instead of her, and then _she_ apologized in a note. Yes, she was out of line when she brought up Ginny cheating on Harry, but what else did she have to apologize for? She knew Ginny was behind this. Who else would want to intercept her mail to Harry? Why couldn't Harry see that? Did he still have feelings for Ginny?

She laughed at herself as the last thought crossed her mind. Harry didn't have feelings for Ginny anymore. Ginny had completely destroyed Harry's heart, leaving her and Ron to pick up the pieces and put Harry back together. Her heart still clenched at the memory of Harry's face that night. His eyes empty and broken, no longer full of life. Dull. He had admitted to her that he was planning on proposing to Ginny. He had been so sure that she was the one for him, that he had never imagined something like that could have happened. None of them had.

She was brought out of her musings by a grumble in her stomach, reminding her that she needed to eat. She stood up, debating whether or not to eat there or in the Great Hall. She wasn't sure if she wanted to face the staff and students. What if they could tell that something was wrong? She didn't want rumors to start spreading about her. It had been nearly unbearable when the press found out that she and Harry had started dating. It had only reinforced her hatred of Rita Skeeter. How she had kept a job, Hermione would never know.

She peeked around the entrance to the Great Hall. It was still relatively empty. She hurried up the aisle to her seat at the Head table. McGonagall was deep in conversation with Flitwick and Sprout. None of them noticed her as she piled her plate with food, realizing for the first time just how hungry she was.

She was just about to take a bite when there was a fluttering of wings as the owls entered the Great Hall, bearing mail from friends and family of the students. Her eyes immediately zoomed in on Archimedes, Harry's owl, and her heart skipped a beat. She kind of regretted leaving just a note and not talking to Harry herself, but she had been hurt, not to mention hungover. She hadn't wanted to start another fight.

Archimedes landed in front of her, affectionately nipping her finger. She stroked the feathers on his head gently and quickly untied the package from his leg. She handed him a piece of bacon to nibble on and then he flew off, leaving her with the package. She hesitated before slowly untying the strings. The paper fell away to reveal some carefully wrapped Sugar Quills, her favorite. Next to them was a small bouquet of yellow daffodils, her favorite. She smiled softly to herself as she inhaled the fresh flowery scent.

A sudden silence filled the Hall, followed by someone clearing their throat. Hermione looked up, her eyes wide. Harry stood in front of her. He smiled sheepishly at her, reaching his hand up and running his fingers through his hair. She felt the eyes of everyone on them and blushed furiously. Harry stepped forward until he was directly across the table form her, ignoring the looks of everyone else.

"I'm sorry, 'Mione. I was a right prat. A git. An idiot. An arsehole. I shouldn't have sided with her over you." He paused and looked down at his feet. "I just didn't want to admit that someone I was so close with could do something like that. But you were right."

Hermione stayed silent as he looked into her eyes. They were full of sadness and regret. She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off.

"I had Archimedes tested. She cast a Confundus on him. That's how she got the letters. The owner of the shop said he had to report it to the Aurors, since it's a crime to intercept someone else's mail. I've written to Arthur, Molly, and Ron. Telling them what happened." He took a deep breath and reached over, grabbing her hand. "Please forgive me, Hermione. I'm so sorry."

Hermione felt a surge of anger as she learned that she was indeed right about Ginny. She had always considered the girl one of her best friends. At least until she broke Harry's heart. Things had never been the same between them since, but they had still been friends. What could have happened to make Ginny do something so hurtful?

She gave Harry's hand a light squeeze and smiled up at him. "Of course, I forgive you, Harry." She saw him instantly relax as the words left her mouth, a brilliant smile spreading across his face. "Just, promise me something."

"Anything for you, Hermione. Absolutely anything."

"Next time we have an argument, don't walk away."

Harry nodded. "Of course. I shouldn't have done that."

She took a breath and stood up, pulling him off to the side, away from the prying eyes of everyone else. "I also have to apologize. I shouldn't have left without talking to you either. I also shouldn't have said what I did about Ginny and how she…you know. I'm sorry, Harry."

She felt Harry pulling her into his arms, enveloping her in love and warmth. "Don't worry about it, love." They fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence. "I love you."

"I love you too, Harry." She pressed a light kiss to his lips. "I'm going to come watch your game this weekend. We will get it right this time, I promise." She felt him chuckle as her stomach grumbled again.

"Listen, Oliver gave me the whole day off. And you obviously need to eat. How about I join you for lunch? Then we can spend the rest of the day in bed." He winked at her, enjoying the blush that spread across her cheeks.

"Harry!" She buried her face in his chest.

"Okay, okay. Maybe not the _whole_ day." He grinned as she swatted his arm playfully.

"Sorry, Mr. Potter. But I have piles of papers to grade. You're just going to have to wait until I'm done."

He smiled and brushed her curls out of her face. "I don't mind. As long as I'm with you." He bent down and pressed his lips to hers. Hermione sighed and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck as they quickly got lost in each other's kisses.

"Ahem."

The couple jumped apart, cheeks flaming. They had clearly forgotten that they weren't alone. Professor McGonagall, along with the entire Great Hall, was staring at them, some of the younger students grossed out by the fact that their professor had a love life. McGongall was peering at them over her glasses.

Harry looked sheepishly at McGongall. "Sorry, Professor. Won't happen again."

McGonagall sniffed and pushed her glasses up on her face. "Be sure it doesn't, Mr. Potter." As she looked away, Harry swore that he saw a small smile on her lips.

Harry took the seat next to Hermione's and joined her in eating lunch. He listened as she filled him in on how her students were doing and how excited they were with how well England was doing in the World Cup. Every game the students gathered in groups around the castle to listen on their radios. Whenever England played they gathered in the Great Hall to listen as a group.

Harry was a little upset when Hermione mentioned that she wouldn't be able to make their game the next weekend. Only sixteen teams were left out of the starting sixty-four. If they won this game, then they would be in the semifinals. This month they were playing Brazil. Oliver hadn't let the training slow down at all. Even though there were only eight games this month, they were training five days a week. The seventh day was for watching the game that was being played that week. Even on game days they would still go for morning and evening runs, leaving hardly any free time for him to visit Hermione.

"I understand, Hermione. Your job is important, and the students need you here. Besides, it's not the last game I'm ever going to play. Don't worry about it." He leaned over and brushed his lips against her cheek. "We will just have to make the most out of today." He smirked as a blush spread across her face and stood up, pulling her with him. "Now let's go grade those papers so we can have some alone time."

Hermione grinned and followed him out of the Great Hall, well aware that there would be no grading today.


	20. Chapter 20

_Harry,_

 _I know it's only been a day since you left, but I miss you terribly already! As you know, Ron's birthday is coming up! Ron, Neville, Luna, Hannah, and I are going to the Three Broomsticks to celebrate. We all wish you could be there. Thankfully, Ginny will not be there. I don't know if you heard, but the Weasley's are_ _ **mortified**_ _that she did something like that. Since it was her first offense, the Aurors gave her leniency. She only had to pay a fine of 200 Galleons. Luckily for her she can afford that, being a Quidditch player and all that. Ron wrote to me after they found out yesterday. I wouldn't be too surprised if you have received a letter from him as well. I'm sure Arthur and Molly have also written to you. Ginny has been suspended from the Harpies for a few weeks so she is staying at home with them. Ron told me that they even took her wand from her for now!_

 _Anyway, I finally managed to finish grading all of those papers, no thanks to you! I've got to get going now. I have the fifth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs today in a few minutes. I hope to hear from you soon!_

 _All my love,_

 _Hermione_

 _March 1_ _st_

 _Ron,_

 _Happy birthday, mate! Sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate with you all. I do hope you enjoy the World Cup Final tickets that are in the envelope! There are quite a few in there. I figured you could bring who you want. Tell the mates I say hi._

 _And yes, I did get your letter. Don't apologize for Ginny's actions. No one could have seen this coming. We all thought she was doing fine with Dean. I feel bad for him, he seems to have really cared for her._

 _Anyway, happy birthday again! Don't go too crazy on your night out!_

 _Harry_

 _March 1_ _st_

 _Hermione,_

 _I got your letter! And yes, I got one from Ron and from the Weasley's as well. As always, you were right. I made sure to tell them not to worry about it. We all thought she was doing fine and coping with our breakup better than she was. In hindsight, I had noticed some signs, but at the time I didn't think anything of it. I don't mind the Aurors being lenient on her this time. If it happens again though, I doubt I will take to kindly to that._

 _Training has been rough lately. Missing that one day really made a negative impact. But it was worth it. YOU are worth it. I am so sorry for how things have happened the past couple of weeks. I should have noticed something was wrong when I didn't receive any letters from you. I figured you were just really busy with your classes._

 _Anyway, I miss you like crazy. I miss your smile, your laugh, your hair, your eyes. I especially miss cuddling on the couch with you. Don't tell Ron I said that! He will relish the opportunity to tease me about something._

 _I best be off. Oliver wants us to go to bed early tonight. The first game of the month is tomorrow, so we have to wake up early to get a small workout in beforehand. Have fun tonight!_

 _Love,_

 _Harry_

 _Wednesday March 6_ _th_

 _Harry,_

 _Sorry it took me so long to get back to you! I meant to write you back right away, but I didn't get your letter until after Ron's celebration, and I was too hungover to right you back. Yes, you read that right! Hermione Granger got trashed. Well, not too trashed. Ron loved the tickets by the way. He's already planning on who he will take with him. Most likely Neville, George, and Arthur. Bill already managed to get a ticket, and Charlie is too busy with the dragons to make it over. And you know how Percy is. He'd much rather stay at home and listen over the radio._

 _Anyway, Ron was insistent that I let loose, seeing as how it was a Friday night. I only had four drinks, but I guess I'm more of a lightweight than I thought. Neville didn't drink and promised me the next day that I hadn't done anything too embarrassing. Although he might not count singing on top of a table as embarrassing! I definitely won't be drinking that much ever again. Thank Merlin that it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend!_

 _I'm sorry that training has been a bit rough for you. It must have been the Hogwarts food that got to you! I'm sure Oliver has you on a very strict diet!_

 _Oh, Minerva is calling me -its so weird calling her that- so I better be going. We can't wait to listen to you guys play next Saturday!_

 _Love,  
Hermione_

 _Saturday March 9_ _th_

 _Harry,_

 _Mum and Dad finally gave Ginny her wand back. She has assured them that she won't do anything again. She has also agreed to get some sort of therapy to help sort out her issues. Mum thinks it might be attention seeking to make up for the fact that Ginny was the youngest of seven, but then again Ginny was the only girl and Mum always fawned over her. Dad seems to think it might have something to do with what happened to her in her first year with the diary. I'm not so sure about that. I don't know if a possession could still affect you years later. Then again, it happened when she was very young, and according to Dad, young children are more impressionable and likely to have issues with that sort of thing._

 _I don't know, I think Ginny just has trouble getting over the fact that she ruined her chances with you. I heard her mention how you two were meant to be, and were 'soulmates'. Mad, if you ask me. Anyone can see that you have no intentions of being with her ever again._

 _I told Mum I would keep you updated on Ginny's progress. She wants to make sure you know that she's getting better._

 _Things at the shop are going well. There are still times that George struggles with Fred not being there. Hell, I have my moments too. But we have come up with some great new ideas for some products! Hermione would kill us if she found out, so please don't tell her!_

 _Thanks for the tickets, mate! Can't wait to see you playing in the Final!_

 _-Ron_

 _Saturday March 9_ _th_

 _Hermione,_

 _I still get nervous whenever McGongall is mentioned. I'm still mortified that she saw me half naked in your room that one time! I don't think I can ever be in her presence again, especially after that scene we caused in the Great Hall!_

 _I'm glad you had a good time last Friday! The team and I went out ourselves. And you'll never guess who we ran into! Viktor Krum! Blugaria has been doing fairly well this year. We might end up playing them in the Final, if we make it. He asked about you, Hermoninny. I might have let it slip, not so subtly, that you and I are together. I was suddenly really jealous that he took you to the Yule Ball and not me. Something else I have to apologize for. I never even thought to ask you to the dance, even if it was just as friends. Ron and I were idiots at that age. Hell, we still are idiots!_

 _I miss you more than you can imagine. I always sleep better when you're in my arms, even if it means getting your hair in my face during the night. I hate how we can't see each other more often. But only a few more months, I promise! Then we will have all the time in the world together. I already have something special planned for our one year anniversary! Luckily for us it's before classes start next year. We have the whole summer to be together!_

 _I love you._

 _Harry_

 _Monday, March 11_

 _Harry,_

 _Never call me Hermoninny ever again or I'll set the birds on you! I'm glad Viktor seems to be doing well, but there's really no need to be jealous! The Yule Ball was years ago, which means there's no need to apologize either! I resigned myself to the fact that my two best friends were idiots long before then!_

 _Oh, I forgot to tell you! Neville and Hannah have set a wedding date! August first of this year! It is rather soon, but they are only having a small ceremony with family and close friends. I hope whatever this special thing you have planned doesn't interfere with that. I haven't been to a wedding in ages, not since Bill and Fleur's actually. Hopefully we don't have to disappear halfway through this one._

 _My students are having exams this week, so I will be really busy grading their tests. I also have detention duty most nights this week. The perks of being the new one. I won't be able to write you much until after your game. Good luck Saturday, love!_

 _Lots of love,  
Hermione_


End file.
